This uncommon and interesting surname, recorded in church registers of south east England from the early part of the 18th Century, is ultimately believed to be of Scottish territorial origin from the old lands of Lethington, the former name for Lennoxlove (originally a seat of the maitlands of Lethington), south of Haddington in East Lothian. The component elements of Lethington are most likely the Old English pre 7th Century personal byname Hlud, loud, plus the Old English "ing", people of, and "tun", an enclosure or settlement, hence, "the settlement of Hlud's people". On September 23rd 1727, Mary, daughter of John Lithington, was christened in Romaldkirk, Yorkshire. Mary Lettington and Peter Austen were married in Westwell by Ashford, Kent, on January 23rd 1732, and on May 8th 1734, Mary Luthington married a William Chant in Hessle by Hull, Yorkshire. The marriage of Sarah Lettington to Richard Fendall took place in St. Mary Somerset, London, on July 29th 1742. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Lettington, (christening), which was dated May 15th 1729, St. Sepulchre, London, during the reign of King George 11, "The Last Warrior King", 1727 - 1760. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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