Contents [hide]

Deighton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Deighton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Deighton family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in the North Riding of Yorkshire. They descended from the distinguished Norman family of Picot d'Auton, and it is from that local name, which means from Auton, that the surname derives.

Early Origins of the Deighton family

The surname Deighton was first found in Yorkshire at Deighton, a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Dictune. 1 To confuse matters, there is another Deighton now a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, North Yorkshire and another Deighton, a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. All locals are generally believed to have similar origins but have separate entries in the Domesday Book. All have retained rather small populations over the years with the West Riding local having the highest at 539 in the late 1800s. The others have less that 200. The place name literally means "farmstead surrounded by a ditch." 2

Early History of the Deighton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deighton research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1340 and 1419 are included under the topic Early Deighton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deighton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Deighton were recorded, including Daton, Dayton, Deighton, Dauton and others.

Early Notables of the Deighton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Robert Deighton of York

Migration of the Deighton family to Ireland

Some of the Deighton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deighton migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Deighton arrived in North America very early:

Deighton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Deighton, who arrived in New York State in 1774

Deighton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anna Deighton, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3

Deighton migration to Australia +

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

Deighton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Sanders Deighton, English convict who was convicted in Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1825 4
Mr. George Deighton, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Thomas Deighton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Mount Stuart Elphinstone" in 1851 6

Deighton 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:

Deighton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard J Deighton, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Aurora
Samuel Deighton, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship "Aurora"
Richard Deighton, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Samuel Deighton, aged 17, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aurora" in 1840
Joseph Deighton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Deighton (post 1700) +

John Deighton (1830-1875), English bar owner in Vancouver, Canada, known as Gassy Jack, eponym of "Gastown"
Paul Deighton (b. 1956), British investment banker, CEO of the 2012 London Olympics
Leonard Cyril Deighton (b. 1929), British military historian, cookery writer, and novelist

Historic Events for the Deighton family +

HMS Royal Oak

Ernest Cecil Deighton (d. 1939), British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 7

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOUNT STUART ELPHINSTONE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851MountStuartElphinstone.gif
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html