This unusual surname is of Norman origin, introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066, and is a locational name from a place called Lingure in France. During the Middle Ages when it was increasingly common for people to migrate from their birthplace to seek work further afield, the custom developed that they would adopt the placename as a means of identification. The surname dates back to the late 13th Century, (see below). Early recordings include Henry de Lingure (1272) in the Book of Fees, Oxford, and Alice de Lyngure (1273) in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. London Church Records list the marriage of Robert Linger to Margery Risley on the 27th June 1567 at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, and the christening of william Linger on the 22nd September 1572 at St. Vedast, Foster Lane. Richard, son of Thomas and Dorathie Linger, was christened at St. Gregory by St. Paul on the 6th June 1645. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry de Linguire, which was dated 1272, in the Book of Fees, Berkshire, during the reign of King Henry 111 - The Frenchman, 1216-1272. 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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