Painting Family History

In SW England, a variant of the Hants name Penton and perhaps Pennington each had medieval spellings such as Penyng(e)ton. Penton (near Andover Hants) is spelled Peinton in a conveyance dated 1317 in Somerset Archives DD\WHb/2688. Compare the 1327 Farmington (Gloucs) example of de Peynton cited below with John de Penynton 1327 in Subsidy Rolls (Fairford Gloucs).

Penyn- has been reduced to Pen- and Peyn-, and in the surname, the final -on has often been altered to -in and -ing. No evidence has been found to support a derivation from Paignton (Devon), which does not seem to have given rise to a medieval surname. For the name in the W Midlands, see Painton.

In Lincs and Norfolk, it is perhaps a variant of Pointon from Pointon (S Lincs), although the change from -oy- to -ey- is unexplained and is not recorded for the place-name. Pointon is not far from Moulton and Weston (Lincs) where the surname Peynton is recorded in 138.

Alternatively, it could be a variant of Panton (from Great Ponton, Lincs), although the -ey- spelling is difficult to explain. Great Ponton is also not far from Moulton and Weston.