Caterton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Caterton is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Chadderton, or Catterton which had two locations. The first in the parish of Oldham in the county of Lancashire, the second, a township in the parish of Healaugh in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Latin word Cathedra, which means the place by the hill. 1

These locations probably derived their name from the "Saxon, cete-doir-ton, the cottage-town in the wood; from cete or cyte, a cottage, hut, cabin; doir, a wood, and ton, a town." 2

Early Origins of the Caterton family

The surname Caterton was first found in Lancashire where "in the 13th century, a Richard de Trafford gave lands of the name Chadderton to his son Geoffrey (circa 1235-1332) who adopted the name of the estate, becoming Geoffrey de Chadderton. Possession of the manor left the family when Margery, a daughter and heir of Chadderton Manor, married a John de Radcliffe in circa 1367. Chadderton Hall was the birthplace of Dr. Laurence Chadderton, an eminent divine at the period of the Reformation, of which he was a zealous promoter; he lived to the great age of 103 years, and died at Cambridge on the 16th November, 1640. " 3

"The Chaddertons were an ancient family, descended from Geoffrey de Trafford, the younger son of Richard de Trafford, who about 1200 received from his father the manor of Chadderton." 4

The Assize Rolls of Lancashire list Geoffrey de Chaderton there in 1281 and later, William de Chaderton, de Chaterton was found in there in 1324. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Alan de Caterton, Yorkshire and over one hundred years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Caterton as holding lands there at that time. 6

"Although in general Chatterton must be regarded as a variant of the Lancashire Chadderton, it is almost certain that some of the Chattertons found in the Yorkshire directories are variants of Catterton, a township in the West Riding." 6

Looking at other early records in Lancashire, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 listed Margaret de Chadreton, of Chaderton, Lancashire. 6

"In the 16th century there was a gentle family of Chatterton at Lichfield, Staffordshire, its members often serving as bailiff or mayor of that city." 7

Early History of the Caterton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caterton research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1536, 1540, 1584, 1591, 1608, 1640, 1752, 1760, 1765, 1770, 1810, 1824, 1844 and 1871 are included under the topic Early Caterton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caterton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Caterton were recorded, including Chatterton, Chadderton, Chatherton, Chaderton and others.

Early Notables of the Caterton family

Distinguished members of the family include Laurence Chaderton (c.1536-1640), Puritan divine, first master of Emmanuel College in 1584, who was among the translators of the King James Version of the Bible. he was the son of Thomas Chaderton of the Lees, Oldham. "According to his biographers, he gave inconsistent accounts of his age. According to one, he was born in 1536; according to the other, two years later. His father was a gentleman of good means, and seems to have taken little pains to press Laurence forward in his education. The boy was further disgusted with study by the severity of...
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caterton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caterton migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Caterton family emigrate to North America:

Caterton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Caterton, who landed in Maryland in 1671 8

The Caterton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Loyal a Mort
Motto Translation: Loyal unto death

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)