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![Show Contents]() Gowtheton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient roots of the Gowtheton family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Gowtheton comes from when the family 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 Gowtheton familyThe surname Gowtheton 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 Gowtheton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gowtheton research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1636 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Gowtheton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gowtheton Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Gowtheton has appeared include Gorton, Gorten, Gortin and others. Early Notables of the Gowtheton 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 Gowtheton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Gowtheton familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gowtheton arrived in North America very early: 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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