Hocton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Hocton arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hocton family lived in Houghton, Lancashire. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English word hoh, which means "ridge," and tun which means "enclosure" or "settlement." 1

Early Origins of the Hocton family

The surname Hocton was first found in Lancashire, where they were anciently Lords of the manor of Hocton and in Norman times written as "de Hocton."

The township of Wheelton in Lancashire was of particular significance to the family. "In the reign of Henry III., or early in that of Edward I., Henry de Quelton granted to Sir Adam de Hocton, for the annual rent of one barbed arrow, or four marks, at Michaelmas, all his lands in the town of "Quelton. Whelton-cum-Hepay was anciently considered as part of the manor of Hoghton; and in the 32nd of Elizabeth, Thomas Hoghton, Esquire, who was slain at Lea Hall, by Thomas Langton, Baron of Newton, possessed the manor under the crown." 2

Some of the family were found at Withell in Lancashire. "The township was a member of Hoghton manor, and part of the inheritance of a co-heiress of the Alansons, who married Roger de Withnil or Wythenall. By a charter of the 11th of Edward III., the king granted to Sir Richard de Hoghton and his heirs the privilege of free warren in their demesne lands here." 2

Richard of Hoghton or Hoton (d. 1307), was "Prior of Durham and probable founder of Durham College, the Oxford 'nursery' of the Benedictines of Durham, the site of which is now occupied by Trinity College, seems to have been a native of Houghton-le-Spring, Durham. Tradition, however, connects him with the family now represented by Sir Charles De Hoghton, bart., of Hoghton Towers, near Blackburn, Lancashire. " 3

Early History of the Hocton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hocton research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1570, 1591, 1601, 1611, 1614, 1616, 1630, 1640, 1648, 1656 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Hocton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hocton Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Hocton, Hoghton, Hoctor and others.

Early Notables of the Hocton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Hoghton, 1st Baronet (1570-1630) of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, a politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1611; Sir Gilbert Hoghton, 2nd Baronet...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hocton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hocton migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hocton or a variant listed above:

Hocton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W Hocton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4

Hocton 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:

Hocton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Anne Hocton, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Pegasus" in 1865

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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
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)