HINGSTON; DEV,ENG; anytime The Hingston surname seems to be most common in the South Hams area of Devon, and appears to have originated there. There are two farms, one simply called Hingston in the parish of Bigbury, the other called Hingston Borough in the parish of Aveton Gifford. I had always assumed that the farm called Hingston Borough near the boundary of Aveton Gifford and Bigbury was a farm at Borough named after one of its early occupants (i.e. the name of the farm followed the name of the family). However, the English Place Name Society give successive names for Hingston Borough as Hyndeston leading by various changes to Hingston, with the etymology that Hynd’s Stone was the name given to a boundary stone (between Aveton Gifford and Bigbury parishes?), which would then imply that the surname Hingston is derived from the place. Thus, Aveton Gifford may turn out to be the root of all the Hingston names. But this could be several hundred years ago, plenty of time for the surname to have dispersed before parish registers existed. I am descended from Hingstons in three separate ways, and I am trying to unravel the various Hingston families in the area. There appears to have been a considerable amount of work done by various people already, and I am in touch with several of them. I am trying to draw up a chronological list of all Hingston births/baptisms, marriages, deaths, census entries, emigration records, etc, and from this to produce family lineages. If there is anyone reading this list who has any Hingston facts in their records, I would be very grateful to receive them. The object will be to produce a booklet listing all the information. Any information would be gratefully received. Chris Burgoyne cjb@eng.cam.ac.uk