Watlington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Watlington

What does the name Watlington mean?

Watlington is an ancient name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of emigration that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name comes from the Germanic personal name Walter. The name is composed of the elements wald, meaning rule and heri, meaning army.

Another source claims the place name literally means "farm/settlement of *Hwaetel's/*Wacol's people' or perhaps, 'farm/settlement at Wateling (= wattle/thatching place)" 1 The Domesday Book of 1086 referred to the town as Watelintone or Watelintune. 2

Early Origins of the Watlington family

The surname Watlington was first found in Sussex where they were conjecturally descended from the village of Wartling or Whatlington, held at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey by William by the Count of Eu 2. The hamlet consisted of 3 salt houses at that time. Although other historians conjecture that it was related to Watling Street, the great Roman Way which winds northward in England to Chester and the north, this seems impractical. Derived from this is also Watlington, "ton" meaning a hamlet. The many other explanations of the origin of this name such as the trade name of 'watling', a form of wall and roof construction of houses in ancient times, can be discounted as too general for such an isolated name. If this were the origin, Watling would be as popular and prolific as Carpenter and many other house building trade surnames. Watlington is a parish located in Norfolk and Oxfordshire. The latter has a most interesting history. The place name is supposed to have been derived from the Saxon Watelar, meaning "hurdles" or " wattles," alluding to the way in which the Britons are described to have built their towns, " as groves fenced in with hewn trees." It is traditionally said that a military chest of money was left at the house of Robert Parslow, in the town, and never afterwards claimed, in consequence of which he bequeathed a liberal donation to the poor of the parish. 3

Early History of the Watlington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watlington research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1296, 1332, 1681, 1688, 1695, 1711 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Watlington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watlington Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Watling, Whatling, Watlington, Watlingtone, Whatlington and many more.

Early Notables of the Watlington family

Samuel Watlington (fl. 1688-1711) was an English cloth merchant and leading citizen of the town of Reading, Berkshire. He held the office of Mayor of Reading in 1695 and 1711. In 1688, he and his wife...

Watlington Ranking

the United States, the name Watlington is the 14,715^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Watlington migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Watlington or a variant listed above:

Watlington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Watlington, who settled in Antigua in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Watlington (post 1700) +

Neal Watlington (1922-2019), born Julius Neal Watlington, an American Major League Baseball catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1953
John Watlington Perry-Watlington (1823-1882), British politician, Member of Parliament for South Essex (1859-1865)

The Watlington Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Corde manuque
Motto Translation: With heart and hand.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/