Genealogy Chat

Looking at this on IGI, it's one of those names that keeps cropping up here and there from time to time without seeming to have any continuous history at all, at least before about 1800. This usually means that the name keeps arising as a variant of another name. So here's a plausible scenario, not based on any actual research (but in line with the known histories of other names)... The name Chippington has been well established in the Stoke by Nayland area of Suffolk for centuries. (It looks like it comes from a place name, no idea where) Pronunciation used to be a bit slovenly, before there were any posh accents, and the -ing- in such names often suffered, so the name was probably pronounced something like Chipp'n'ton or Chipperton by around 16-1700. But the clerics and clerks in Suffolk would carry on using the established spelling. However, if an illiterate Chippington moved to Norfolk or Essex or London where the surname and the placename were unknown, they would have to spell it as spoken and it would go down as Chipperton. Most of these branches don't seem to have lasted long, your grandmother's family may be the only one where this variant survived

Thanks for looking that up for me it is very interesting and not at all what i had thought it could be. However it does seem to fit. Alison

My grandmother's maiden name was Chipperton and i cannot find anything out about he history of the name. She thinks it may have changed from Chipperfield or Chippendale at some point in the past but this is only speculation. Can anyone give me any clues to help?