A brief history of the Line name Some records suggest that the entire Line family originated from the county of Buckinghamshire, England, and in particular the parishes around Newton Longville. The name "Line" could possibly stem from an association with the flax or linen industry which was a major product in that area during mediaeval times but recent research indicates this is unlikely. Other similar names such as "Lyne", "Lyon" and "Lines" can confuse the issue especially as standardised spelling did not appear much before the early 19th Century. Equally it is possible that someone today using the name "Line" might originate from a familly named "Lyon" many generations ago and, in this case, would be more likely to have its roots in the French city of the same name, i.e. de Lyon. Despite this the name is almost certainly Anglo-Norman. Newton Longville and much of the surrounding area was given over to Walter de Gifford shortly after the invasion of 1066. He originated from Longueville-sur-Scie in Normandy, hence the addition of Longville to the original Anglo-Saxon name of Newton or Newington. There is a common surname to be found in the Canton of Longueville-sur-Scie which is Lainé or Laisné - a name which could easily be Anglicised to Line and which would also have evolved in both spelling and pronunciation over the centuries. Needless to say Walter de Gifford would have imported his own compatriots to administer the area, collect taxes and maintain security. Genealogist Hervé Laine, who lives in the region of Longueville-sur-Scie, agrees that there could be inkage between the Norman and English names and he reveals that there is a record of one Huges L`Asne who accompanied William the Conqueror to England. Given the lack of formal spelling ( his own family has numerous variations throughout the years) and given the effects of regional accents and therefore pronunciation both in Normandy and Buckinghamshire the original name could easily have been distorted. Less likely are suggestions that the name is metronymic in origin. Here it is claimed the name is taken from "Lina", an abbreviation of such Anglo-Norman female names as Catelina, Emilina or Adelina and , as a result, the surname "Line" is taken to mean "the son of Lina". For more on Newton Longville and Longueville-sur-Scie visit the Links page. This site aims to record one small branch of the Line family which has namesakes across the UK, America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and in many other English speaking nations. If you can add in any way to the information on this site, please contact this e-mail address. We are also more than happy to post links to any other "Line" websites from elsewhere in the world.
The Line Family tree Until the mid 1850s this branch of the family had lived in and around Newton Longville in Buckinghamshire (UK). Much of the information below was provided by Howard Bell, Anne Johnson and Roger Baker (all with Line family connections) to whom many thanks are offered. The spelling of the surnames often varied between Line and Lyne. Names underlined give a link to the page of the individual concerned
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| Edward Line (1716) and Mary
(maiden name not known but died in 1760)
note1 |
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| Thomas (1739) | Edward (1741) | William Line (1743 - 1819) married Elizabeth (maiden name not known) about 1774 note2 |
Mary (1746) married John Coar in 1769 | Elizabeth (1749) | George (1752) | Richard (1754 - 1755)) | Anne (1756) | Alice (1758) | Richard (1760) |
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Richard Bent (or Bint) illegitimate (1774) |
Mary (1775) |
William Line (1777) married Mary Willison 16th October 1806 |
Joanna (1780) |
Daniel (1783) note3 |
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Edmund (1807) Married Mary Verney 1831 |
Elizabeth (1808) Married Harry Young 1835 |
John Line (1810 - 1880)) married Margaret Emerson (1812 - 1865) on 10th January 1833 |
Sarah (1812) |
William (1815) |
Emily (1817) |
Mary (1820 |
Martha (1823) |
Joseph (1825) |
Richard (1830) |
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Robert Emerson Line (1833 - 1877) married Emma Ann Emerson 1856 note4 |
Thomas (1837 - 1916) |
Henry (1839) |
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Henry (1858) |
Anne (1862) |
Thomas (1863) |
Charlotte (1867) |
Louisa (1867) |
Emma Maude (1870) |
Clara (1871) note 5 |
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Robert E (1875) | note 6 |
Henry (Harry) 1876
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William 1876?
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Thomas William Line (1877 - 1972) | |
George Frederick (1880 - 1950)
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Edward J (1883)
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Kate Agnes (1885)
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Frances Maud (1891)
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Margaret Ellen (1895)
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| Thomas (1903 - 1978) | George Henry Line (1906 - 1997) |
Charles Edward Line (1910 - 1997) |
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Sheila Ann Line (1932 - 2002)
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David George Line (1946)
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Frances Mary Line OBE (1940)
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Julia Evelyn Line (1947)
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Note 1 - Edward Line was both a farmer and butcher. An Edward Line of Stoke Hammond is recorded as being buried in Newton Longville on 13th July 1775. It may be the same man who either re-married or moved following the death of his first wife.
Note 2 - William fathered an illegitimate child in 1774. The name of the mother was given as Elizabeth Bent or Bint. It can be surmised that this birth forced the marriage between William and Elizabeth in the same year. In 1787 following the death of Elizabeth in 1783 (see note 3) William remarried, this time to Mary Ellard. It would apprear they produced up to seven offspring.
Note 3 - It is recorded that Daniel was baptised on his mother`s coffin on 12th March 1783 and therefore it can be presumed that Elizabeth (see note 2) died during childbirth. Daniel died within a month and was buried on 16th April 1783.
Note 4 - Robert Emerson Line (snr) moved from Newton Longville to South East London to become a fireman
Note 5 - It appears that Clara was placed into an orphanage at Beddington following the death of her father
Note 6 - Robert Line married Alice (maiden name not known) in 1894. They had two children at the time of the 1901 census - Robert (1895) and Grace (1899)
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