Ayton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Ayton family
The surname Ayton was first found in the county of Berwickshire, where Ayton is a small town "which takes its name from the water of Eye, on the banks of which it is situated, is intimately connected with important transactions of early times. It was formerly dependent on the monastery of Coldingham, as appears from charters belonging to that establishment, upon the settlement of which, between the years 1098 and 1107, under the auspices of King Edgar, that monarch made them several grants, including "Eytun" and "aliam Eytun," the latter being Nether Ayton, on the opposite side of the river." 1
One of the first records of the name was William de Eytone who rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. 2
Early History of the Ayton family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayton research. Another 252 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1296, 1440, 1460, 1488, 1513, 1570, 1638, 1644, 1672, 1734, 1764, 1777, 1801, 1813, 1826, 1837, 1851 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Ayton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ayton Spelling Variations
During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Ayton occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Aiton, Ayton, Aytoun and others.
Early Notables of the Ayton family
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was
- Sir Robert Ayton or Aytoun (1570-1638), English poet, who was also a private secretary to the queens of James I and Charles I. He "was a descendant of the Norman house of De Vescy, lords of Sprouston...
- John Ayton (d. 1644), Laird of Ayton, was Member of the Scottish Parliament
Ayton migration to the United States +
Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Ayton, or a spelling variation of the surname include:
Ayton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- James Ayton, who settled in Virginia in 1716
Ayton migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Ayton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Robert Ayton, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
- Mr. William Ayton who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
- Mr. Edward Ayton, (b. 1810), aged 27, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1875 5
- Henry Ayton, aged 21, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nabob"
Contemporary Notables of the name Ayton (post 1700) +
- Richard Ayton (1786-1823), English dramatist and miscellaneous writer, born in London in 1786; his father, was son of William Ayton, banker in Lombard Street 6
- Sarah Ayton (b. 1980), British professional sailor, who won a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics
- William Alexander Ayton (1816-1909), British Anglican clergyman
- Sir Robert Ayton (1570-1638), Scottish poet and courtier
Historic Events for the Ayton family +
- Mr. Leslie George Ayton (1917-1941), Australian Ordnance Artificer 4th Class from Sunshine, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 7
- Albert James Ayton (d. 1942), British Marine aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8
Citations +
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 6 June 2019
- HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
- Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A