Coddrington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Coddrington

What does the name Coddrington mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Coddrington comes from the family having resided in Codrington, Gloucestershire, 1 2 which dates back to at least the 12th century when it was listed as Cuderintuna and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Cuthhere" derived from the Old English personal name + ing + tun. 3 Thus, the surname Coddrington belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Coddrington family

The surname Coddrington was first found in Gloucestershire at Codrington, today a hamlet, formerly in the civil parish of Wapley-cum-Codrington in the hundred of Grumbald's Ash. It is now in Dodington parish. 4

Anciently, known as Gotherington, the family can trace back to "Roger de Cantilupe, living 1201, [who] had possessions in Wapley and Gotherington; and with his son Roger made grants there to St. Augustine's Abbey, Bristol. The abbey made further purchases there from Richard, son of the above Roger. It appears that this family remained at Gotherington or Codrington, which name they bore. Geoffry de Cotherington was living here t. Edward III. He was probably grandson of Richard de Cantilupe of this place." 5

The Codrington baronetcy, of Dodington in the County of Gloucester, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 21 April 1721 for William Codrington, a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1737 to 1738.

He is a descendant of Colonel Christopher Codrington (c.1640-1698), a Barbadian-born planter and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Leeward Islands from 1689 to 1699. His father (d. 1656) was a Royalist who had arrived in Barbados around 1640, married and made a small fortune. The colonel and other men of Barbados bought the island of Saint Lucia from native chiefs in 1663.

Early History of the Coddrington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coddrington research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1619, 1626, 1665, 1668, 1691, 1710, 1770 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Coddrington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coddrington Spelling Variations

Coddrington has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Codrington, Coddrington, Codrinton, Coddrinton and others.

Early Notables of the Coddrington family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Christopher Codrington (1668-1710), British soldier, slaver, bibliophile and colonial governor who upon his death bequeathed his slave plantations to found Codrington College, St. John, Barbados. Born in the Barbados, his father, also Christopher Codrington, was captain-general of the Leeward Islands. Young Codrington was sent to England to be educated, and went to school at Enfield under Dr. Wedale. 6Robert Codrington (d...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coddrington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coddrington migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Coddrington Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jonathon Coddrington who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants

The Coddrington 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: Immersabillis est vera virtus
Motto Translation: True virtue cannot be conquered.

Sources +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies