Sturton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Sturton family

The surname Sturton was first found in Wiltshire at Stourton, a parish, in the union of Mere, partly in the hundred of Norton-Ferris. "A castle was anciently built here by John de Stourton, on the site of which a spacious and elegant mansion has been erected. The church is partly Grecian, and partly in the early English style, and contains monuments to the families of Stourton and Hoare." 1

The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Stortone. 2 Literally the place name means "farmstead or village on one of the rivers called Stour." 3 Stourton can also be found in Staffordshire (Sturton in 1227) and Warwickshire (Sturton 1206.) 3

Leland wrote in his Itinerary "The name of Stourtons be very aunciente yn those parties. The Ryver of Stoure risith ther of six fountains or springes, whereof three be on the northe side of the Parke harde withyn the pale: the other three be north also, but without the parke; the Lord Stourton gyveth these six Fountaynes yn his arms." 4 This quotation explains the significance of the six fountains depicted on the family arms. Baron Stourton was created in 1447 at Stourton, Wiltshire. 5

In Scotland, the name is "of recent introduction from across the Border. " 6

Early History of the Sturton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sturton research. Another 39 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1373, 1400, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1407, 1410, 1413, 1426, 1430, 1433, 1437, 1445, 1447, 1454, 1457, 1462, 1463, 1479, 1485, 1487, 1505, 1520, 1523, 1535, 1548, 1553, 1555, 1557, 1588, 1594, 1633, 1640, 1665, 1667, 1672, 1685, 1720 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Sturton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sturton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stourton, Storeton, Storton and others.

Early Notables of the Sturton family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir William de Stourton (1373-1413), Speaker of the House of Commons of England (1413), knight of the shire in Parliament for Somerset in 1401, 1402, and 1404, also Wiltshire in 1407, Dorset in 1410 and again in 1413; John Stourton (1400-1462), 1st Baron Stourton, Treasurer of the Household (1445), High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1426, 1433 and 1437; William Stourton (c. 1430-1479), 2nd Baron Stourton; John Stourton (c. 1454-1485), 3rd Baron Stourton...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sturton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sturton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Sturton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Sturton, aged 18, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 8
Mr. John Sturton, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 9

The Sturton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Loyal je serai durant ma vie
Motto Translation: I will be loyal as long as I live.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm