The name is a location variety which means 'settlement on the boundary stream, derived from the name of the stream or brook on which Rimington stands, the Old English pre 7th Century 'Riming' boundary stream, from 'rim', rim, border, with 'tun', settlement, village, enclosure. Another similar interpretation is that the name derives from a family, the Rems or Rims of Saxon origin, who set up home by the Ing, the small river that flows southside of Rimington township. For centuries this was a short section of the long border dividing Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. No far beyond stands the imposing presence of Pendle Hill. Locational surnames were usually given to the lord of the manor, and especially to those former inhabitants who moved to another place and were best identified by the name of their birthplace.
The Remington/Rimington families who gave the village its name had long departed the township by the time the parish registers of Gisburn and Downham ancient churches came into existence (1558 & 1605 respectively). Hence barely a Remington/Rimington surname recorded in them.
For those of you researching your Rimington ancestry a useful source of information is the publication 'A Peep into the Past' by John Stuart Remington, written in the early 1930s. Here is an abridged transcript of Chapter 1 The Remingtons of Remington of JSR's 'A Peep into the Past' which describes the early times of the family.
In the Doomsday Survey instituted by the Conqueror, Remington is spelt Renitone. At this survey William de Percy is returned as owning this parish, and VIII carucates of waste land in Remington. About fifty years later, when his descendant William de Percy the last male of his line, was founding or helping to found the Church of St. Mary at Gisburn, a certain Norman de Remington, 1135, made a grant to Gisburn Church at its dedication of two bovaites of land in Remington, and at this period his two sons Adam and Helyas were holding lands in Gisburn parish, Adam recovering by exchange those lands in Remington which his father had dedicated to St. Mary's of Gisburn.
In 1147 William de Percy founded the abbey of Sawley or Salley near Remington, and one of his subtenants Norman de Remington, son of Hucthred gave one carucate of land in Remington to the abbey.
Long before the year 1300 had been reached our public records mention a number of different Remingtons as living at Remington. 1295 Walter de Remington held one carucate of land at Gisburn, and Robert de Remington and Agnes his wife held lands from the Percys at Midhope. He was followed by William fitz Hugh fitz Robert de Remington who had a horse stolen from him in Remington which he sought to recover at law in 1344.
In 1334 Ranulphus de Remington attorney to the abbot of Whalley had the wardship of Isabella daughter and heir of John de Graas, and brought a suit against William de la Pole for wasting his ward's manor in Craven.
In 1315 Henry and William de Remington were lords of the Manor of Remington with two others Michael de Bolton and Richard de Midhope. Henry de Remington was also returned as joint lord of the Manor of Gisburn. John de Remington received a grant from the Black Prince. This was confirmed in 1378 when he was King's yeoman to Richard II. The patent Rolls also mention Hugh de Remington as a King's Clerk in 1349.
In 1476 there was living at Gisburn a William de Remington who in 1514 sold his lands in Gisburn and Remington, the deed being witnessed by his son Robert de Botton.
This would appear to end the connection as land owners of the Remingtons of Remington
After 1539 Remingtons are found at Scosthrope, Raskelfe, Botton, Melling-in Lunsdale, Lancashire, Long Preston and Mallam [Malham?], Yorks.
The sale of the lands in Gisburn, Remington and Sawley, which had been owned by the family in an unbroken chain from 1100 to 1514, closed their connection with the country immediately around the hill of Pendle.
Brian Stott 2021
