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![Show Contents]() Goughton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The present generation of the Goughton family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the region of Gorton, a district in Manchester in Lancashire. 1 The name is a habitational name that was derived from the Old English word gor meaning "dirt" and tun meaning "enclosure." 2 Early Origins of the Goughton familyThe surname Goughton was first found in Greater Manchester at Gorton, a chapelry, in the union of Chorlton, hundred of Salford, historically part of Lancashire. 3 The first record of the family was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332 where Thomas de Gorton held lands at that time. 4 Further to the north in Scotland, the family could have originated in the old barony of Gorton in Midlothian where Edward de Couertone (for Gouertone) was a king's tenant in Edinburghshire. He rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. Later, Mergaret de Gouiertoun held the lands of Gouiertoun in Loudonia in the reign of David II. 5 Early History of the Goughton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goughton research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1636 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Goughton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Goughton Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Goughton include Gorton, Gorten, Gortin and others. Early Notables of the Goughton familyNotables of the family at this time include Sir Thomas Gorton of Gorton; Samuel Gorton (1592-1677), English sectary and founder of the American sect of Gortonites which survived until the end of the 18th century. He was " 'born and bred' at Gorton, Lancashire, as also were the 'fathers of his body for many generations.' He came of a good family, and says that his wife 'had bin as tenderly brought up as was any man's wife then in that towne'. He probably knew the Bible by...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goughton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Goughton familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Goughton were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Gorton who settled in Virginia in 1679; Samuel Gorton settled in Boston in 1630; Steven Gorton settled in Virginia in 1635; A. Gorton settled in Baltimore in 1820..
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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