Hoghton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Hoghton is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hoghton 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 Hoghton family

The surname Hoghton 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 Hoghton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoghton 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 Hoghton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoghton Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Hocton, Hoghton, Hoctor and others.

Early Notables of the Hoghton 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 (1591-1648), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1640

Hoghton migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Hoghton or a variant listed above:

Hoghton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Hoghton, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 4

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)