Wallingford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wallingford family

The surname Wallingford was first found in Berkshire but now part of Oxfordshire at Wallingford, home to Wallingford Castle, a major medieval castle on the River Thames. Wallingford is a market town and civil parish which dates back to Saxon times when it was first recorded as Welingaforda c. 895. By the Domesday Book of 1086, the town's names had evolved to Walingeford. 1

"At the time of the Norman invasion, Wigod, a powerful Saxon, had a castle at Wallingford, to which, after the battle of Hastings, he invited the victorious Monarch; the invitation was accepted, and at this place the Conqueror received the submission of Archbishop Stigand, and the principal barons, before he marched with his army to London. During his abode at this place, he celebrated the marriage of Robert D'Oyley, one of his favourite generals, with the only daughter of Wigod. About the year 1067, the King fearing that his new subjects might establish a garrison at Wallingford as they had already done at Oxford, commanded Robert D'Oyley to build a strong castle there ; this castle was frequently used as a State prison." 2

The place name literally means "ford of a man called Wealh," from the Old English personal name + "inga" + "ford." 3

Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wallingford, held by the Bishop of Salisbury, the Bishop of Winchester and William FitzCorbucion, a Norman noble who was recorded in the Domesday Book.

One of the first records of then name was John of Wallingford (died 1214), also known as John de Cella, Abbot of St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire from 1195 to 1214. Before this position he was prior of Holy Trinity Priory at Wallingford in Berkshire, a cell of St Albans.

Another John of Wallingford (died 1258) was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of St Albans, who served between c.1246 and his death in 1258. He is best remembered for his Chronica Joannis Wallingford. 4

Wallingford Castle was originally a motte-and-bailey structure and grew to become one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries. Used by royalty and their immediate family for two centuries, it was abandoned as a royal residence by Henry VIII and fell into decline.

Early History of the Wallingford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wallingford research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1135, 1153, 1218, 1292, 1306, 1336, 1381, 1488 and 1492 are included under the topic Early Wallingford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wallingford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Wallingford include Wallingford, Walingford, Warringford, Waringford, Warengford, Wallingfort, Wallingforth, Walingforth, Warringforth, De Wallingford, De Wallingforth, Warrenford, Warrenforth, Warenforth, Wallingword, Walingword, Wallyngford, Walyngford and many more.

Early Notables of the Wallingford family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Richard of Wallingford (1292-1336), an English mathematician who made major contributions to astronomy/astrology and horology while serving as abbot of St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire; and Richard of...
William Wallingford (d. 1488?), was Abbot of St. Albans and was from youth up a monk of St. Albans. 4

Wallingford migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Wallingfords to arrive on North American shores:

Wallingford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rebecca Wallingford, who landed in Virginia in 1666 5
Thomas Wallingford, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 5
John Wallingford, who arrived in New England in 1687 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Wallingford (post 1700) +

Wayne Wallingford, American Republican politician, Elected Missouri State Senate 27th District 2012 6
W. H. Wallingford, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1924 6
V. O. Wallingford, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, 1928 6
Sam P. Wallingford, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1944 6
Bancroft H. Wallingford, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives from Androscoggin County (2nd), 1931-32 6
Jesse Alfred Wallingford (1872-1944), British bronze medalist sport shooter at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Wallingford Riegger (1885-1961), American composer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html