The Etchingham Family

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The town of Etchingham in Sussex, England was named for a man who came from Normandy with William the Conquerer in the 11th century. (The coat of arms dates from 1294.) Five centuries later, Oswald E. was sent by Henry VIII to Ireland, where the E's established themselves in Wexford. 

Correction October 2007: I just found a website with the history of the town which says that the name was there well before the Normans arrived Here is what Colin Boylett says:

“The village has developed over several centuries from an Anglo Saxon settlement. The name Etchingham is probably derived from Old English, and roughly translates as "The homestead or enclosure of family and followers of a man called Ecci". ..'inga' in a place name usually refers to 'people of' or 'dwellers at', and 'ham' refers to a homestead or settlement, so this explanation seems the most probable.”

See Colin’s website at http://www.cboylett.freeserve.co.uk/villhis.htm

The genealogy of the E's has been worked out from 1100 to 1750 (the early years by Nigel Saul, professor of medieval history, Royal Holloway College, University of London, Scenes from Provincial Life: Knightly Families in Sussex 1280-1400). An account of the family in Ireland may be found in an article The Etchinghams of Dunbrody in the Journal of the Old Wexford Society. There is a gap in the family history from around 1750 to around 1830 when my great-grandfather, John Alexander E. was born. It would be fun to fill in these 80 years.

Next is a photo of my grandfather, James B. Etchingham, and his family. (around 1907) That's Mary Golding Etchingham, Maury, John Berchmans, James, and Alice, my mother.

And here they are in Central Park around 1912 with Fred, the horse. Click on them to enlarge.

Here’s a photo of my mother Alice Etchingham Fickinger taken around 1950.

Here is a picture of me in 1976 in front of what’s left of Dunbrody Abbey in County Wexford, Ireland. It was the property of the Etchinghams from the 17^th century when Henry VIII took it from the monks and gave it to Oswald until the 19^th century when it was bequeathed out of the family. (Maybe we should try to get it back? It now has complete “tourist” amenities: tea and souvenir shop, etc.)