Lathon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the Lathon family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Wiltshire, at the manor of Lattin, from where their name is taken.

Early Origins of the Lathon family

The surname Lathon was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Lattin. The family claim to be a junior branch of the Estoutville family of d'Estouteville-en-Caux in Normandy, Governors of the castle of Ambrieres, which branch was part of the senior branch of the family of Roger d'Estouteville, brother of Herluin, founder and first Abbot of Bec, who was reputedly related to the Duke of Normandy. 1

"William de la Toune occurs in Shropshire during the reign of Edward I. and John de la Doune was Lord of Doune, in that county, in 1316. Ralph de la Thun held land in Woodchurch, Kent, of the King in capite, and died before 1260, 'without heir of his body.' Thomas de Toune, of Throwley, was one of the constables of the Hundred of Faversham during the great Kentish rebellion of 1380." 2

"John de la Dune, in 1254, held land at Bradewell, in Essex, 'by the serjeancy of carrying one gleyve (gladium) or sword, in the King's army. And, in 1284, Thomas de la Doune, most probably his son, held a tenement in Bradewell by the serjeancy of finding one lance for the King, whenever he should happen to go with an army into Wales.' He died in 1306, leaving an heiress Margaret. Morant suggests that he took his name from Dounhall, his residence ; but it is at least equally likely that his house was named from him. In Surrey, Gregory de la Doune held of William de Windsor at Compton 3. Sir Roger de la Dune, 'a knight of Middlesex' is mentioned in Staffordshire temp. Henry III. " 2

The senior branch of the Estoutevilles were granted Lydesdale Castle on the border of England and Scotland, junior sons settled on other estates granted them throughout England. As was customary, second and third sons adopted the surname of the estates. Hence Walter d'Estouteville became Walter Latton of Wiltshire about 1100. Junior branches of this family were, the Lattins of Upton in Berks, Esher in Surrey, and the Morristown Lattins of Kildare in Ireland.

Early History of the Lathon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lathon research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1290 are included under the topic Early Lathon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lathon Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Latton, Lattin, Latin, Lattins, Lattons, Latins, De Latton and many more.

Early Notables of the Lathon family

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

Migration of the Lathon family to Ireland

Some of the Lathon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 122 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lathon family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Lathon or a variant listed above were: John Latin who settled in New York State in 1636.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)