Buckton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Buckton is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Buckton, a township in the parish of Bridlington, the East Riding of Yorkshire. Buckton Castle is a medieval ringwork near Carrbrook east of Stalbridge in Greater Manchester. It was probably built in the late 12th century by William de Neville, Lord of Longdendale. An estate survey recorded in 1360 reported that "there is one ruined castle called Buckeden and of no value." 1

Archaeological excavations over the years have revealed that at one time there was a tower two stories high and that Buckton was built as a stone structure from the beginning as opposed to the more usual timber structure that was rebuilt.

Early Origins of the Buckton family

The surname Buckton was first found in Yorkshire where the name was derived from the Old English personal name Bucc or Bucca + tun, which collectively mean "farmstead of a man called Bucca, or where bucks (male deer) or he-goats are kept." 2 The township was listed as Buctone in the Domesday Book 3.

One of the earliest records of the family was Sir Peter Buckton (1350-1414), an English politician, soldier and knight. He was the High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1404. His good friend Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized him in the short poem, "Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton" written before October 1396. 4

Early History of the Buckton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buckton research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1350, 1404, 1405 and 1414 are included under the topic Early Buckton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buckton Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Buckton family name include Buckton, Bucton and others.

Early Notables of the Buckton family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Richard Buckton of Burton Hill House

Buckton migration to Canada +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Buckton surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Buckton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Buckton, who arrived in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774

Buckton migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Buckton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Buckton, aged 35, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1876
Mary Buckton, aged 33, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1876
Thomas Buckton, aged 13, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1876
Samul Buckton, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1876
Sarah Buckton, aged 7, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1876
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Buckton (post 1700) +

John Richard Buckton (b. 1961), former English rugby player
Clifford Buckton (1897-1960), English actor, known for A King in New York (1957), Pacific Destiny (1956) and The Candlelight Murder (1953)
Raymond Buckton (1922-1995), English General Secretary of ASLEF in 1982
George Bowdler Buckton (1818-1905), English entomologist, best known for his study of aphids
Alice Mary Buckton (1867-1944), English poet
Karen Buckton, British writer and producer, known for Pluripotent (2011), Blinkers (2015) and Damp Soil (2016)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print