RAMPTON One Name Study
Introduction
If you consult any of the well-known books of Surnames, such as Reaney & Wilson or Hanks & Hodges, you will not find a definition of the name RAMPTON. Although there always were a respectable number of people bearing the name - 349 listed in the 1881 census, 462 in about 1998 (based upon the electoral rolls) - it does not feature in these studies where rarer and more unusual names do.
On the face of it you would probably conclude that the name was taken from the village of Rampton in Cambridgeshire or the village of the same name in Nottinghamshire. Perhaps it is an early variant for Frampton or Brampton or Wrampton, all of which still exist as distinct surnames as well as (in the case of the first two) placenames. However, the earliest example I have so far come across is of Isabell RAMPTON in 1425 (found on one of the IGI Miscellaneous pages), but no place name is given.
As the records are so thinly spread over a wide area, I have only been able to get these records from familysearch, but this is what I have found so far:
The earliest baptism record I have found is that of Thomas RAMPTON, son of Agnes RAMPTON, no father named. It took place on 6 Jan 1539 in the parish of Shustoke Warwickshire.
The earliest marriage record I have found is that between Nicholas RAMPTON and Annys BIRLE, which took place on 24 September 1559 in the parish of Copford Essex.
The earliest burial record I have found is that of Annis RAMPTON, daughter of Nicholas RAMPTON. It took place on 26 July 1565 in the parish of Copford, Essex.
All of the earliest records seem to be located in Essex, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, with a sprinkling in Huntingdonshire and Warwickshire, suggesting that the RAMPTONs did indeed originate in the east Midlands and southern part of East Anglia. The first Hampshire marriage was in 1618 at Monk Sherborne; the first Hampshire baptism was in 1584 in Odiham; and the first Hampshire burial was in 1607 also in Odiham.
One of the earliest Rampton marriages is that of Joan (or Jone) Rampton to John Smith (or Smythe) where the IGI has concluded that Joan Rampton must have been born in 1541 (the marriage actually took place in 1562). The location of this event is Marks Tey in Essex (Joan is probably the sister of Nicholas RAMPTON), and Joan is said to be "Of Marks Tey". This is 40 miles from the Cambridge village of Rampton, and 118 miles from the Nottingham village, so you might conclude that the name originates in Cambridgeshire. If this were the place of origin of the name, however, you would expect that the greatest concentration of Ramptons would have been living - and still would live - in and around Cambridgeshire, but this is simply not the case. In fact, the largest concentration of the surname I have found is in Hampshire, and for this reason I have begun my investigations in that county.
I am, however, collecting all known occurrences, anywhere in the world, of the name RAMPTON, so if you have any names you can give I am always grateful for information. You can mail me by selecting th Contact menu option above. As and when I have been able to complete an area of study, I shall publish it on this website, as I have done with the Monk Sherborne Study. The Monk Sherborne research is by no means complete as I should like, eventually, to track down all the later children, but as far as the 17th, 18th and early 19th centuries go, it is as accurate and tidy as I can make it.
General RAMPTON Information
Hampshire in General
The Early RAMPTONs
This section covers the earliest Rampton events that I have found, in the 16th and 17th centuries in Midlands and Northern counties.
Hampshire RAMPTONs
Berkshire RAMPTONs
London and Middlesex RAMPTONs
New Areas of Research
Watch out for these future areas of research
| Ramptons in Andover RD |
| Ramptons in Wales |
| Ramptons in Staffordshire |
| Ramptons in Berkshire |
| Ramptons in the 1911 Census |
| Database search facility |
© This Research prepared by Sue Beard August 2001 to May 2020
