Finton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Finton family

The surname Finton was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the village and lands of Findern, held by an unknown Norman noble, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The village held 2 Mills and is now noted for Burton Abbey.

Early History of the Finton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Finton research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1077, 1093, 1153, 1173, 1486, 1510, 1570 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Finton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finton Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Findern, Fyndern, Fynderne, Fintern, Finturn, Findon and many more.

Early Notables of the Finton family

More information is included under the topic Early Finton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Finton migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Finton or a variant listed above:

Finton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Finton, who landed in Maryland in 1679 2

Finton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Finton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1852 2

Finton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Finton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Michael Finton (aged 28), a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Gomelza"

Contemporary Notables of the name Finton (post 1700) +

Maynard J. Finton, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Seneca County, 1922 3

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html