Hortyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the Hortyn surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in one of the many places called Horton; settlements of this name are particularly common in Yorkshire. The surname Hortyn belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

There are two possible origins of the name: "dirty or muddy farmstead," from the Old English "horu" + "tun" and "hill frequented by harts or stags," from the Old English "heorot" + "dun." 1

Early Origins of the Hortyn family

The surname Hortyn was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Thornton, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley. "Thornton Hall, the property of the Horton family, an ancient quadrangular structure of great size, and formerly of considerable importance, is now occupied as farm-buildings and cottages." 2

Over in Horton, in Northumberland another branch of the family was found. "Possessions were anciently held here by the knightly family of Horton," 2 and at Horton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, more early records of the family were found. "In the reign of Henry II., the manor was granted by Robert de Lacy to the ancestor of the Hortons." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries for the family: Thomas de Horton in Devon; William de Horton in Kent; and Adam de Horton in Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Emma de Horton; and Dionisia de Horton. 3

Some of the family were found in Scotland in early times: "Pieres de Hortone of Edinburghshire who rendered homage in 1296 derived his name from one of the many places named Horton in England, perhaps from one of the three places of the name in Yorkshire." 4

Early History of the Hortyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hortyn research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1296, 1603, 1649, 1660, 1673, 1696, 1714, 1756, 1764, 1784, 1806, 1821, 1823 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Hortyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hortyn Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Hortyn include Horton, Horten and others.

Early Notables of the Hortyn family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Horton D.D. (died 1673), an English clergyman, Professor of Divinity at Gresham College in London, and President of Queens' College, Cambridge. 5 Major Thomas Horton (1603-1649) was an English soldier in the parliamentary army during the English Civil War from Gumley, Leicestershire. Horton was granted the confiscated lands of a deposed Royalist and was Commissioner of...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hortyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hortyn family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Robert Horton settled in Virginia in 1648; Isaac Horton settled in Virginia in 1636; Barth Horton settled in Virginia in 1638; Robert Horton settled in Barbados in 1670..

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.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print