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Origins Available: |
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The name Browton reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Browton family lived in Staffordshire, Lancashire, Lincoln, Northamptonshire and many other counties. The name probably derived from the name Boroughtown and is indicative of its bearer's residence one of many localities so named in Britain.
The surname Browton was first found in Staffordshire at Broughton. However, "the Broughtons descend in the male line from one of the most ancient families of the county of Chester, the Vernons of Shipbrook. Richard de Vernon, a younger brother of this house, was father of Adam de Napton, in the county of Warwick, whose issue assumed their local name from Broughton in Staffordshire." 1 Shirley continues "the pedigrees vary as to the exact point of connection, and, confused and contradictory as the Shipbrooke pedigree is at this period, there can be little hope of its positively identified; but the general fact of descent is allowed by all authorities." 1
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had scattered listings of the family: Mathew de Brouchton, Buckinghamshire; Houel de Broton, Shropshire; William de Broucton, Huntingdonshire; and John de Brouhton, Oxfordshire. 2
Broughton Castle is a medieval fortified manor house in the village of Broughton. The castle was built as a manor house by Sir John de Broughton in 1300 where three streams met creating a natural site for a moated manor. The castle survives today as a Grade I listed building and is open to the public over the summer.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Browton research. Another 255 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1506, 1549, 1602, 1612, 1634, 1660, 1661 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Browton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Browton family name include Broughton, Browton and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert Broughton (died 1506), a landowner, soldier, and Member of Parliament for Suffolk, He was knighted at the Battle of Stoke.
Hugh Broughton (1549 -1612), was an English scholar and divine, born at Owlbury, a mansion in the parish of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire. "In the immediate vicinity are two farmlands, called Upper and Lower Broughton. His ancestry was old and of large estate; he had a brother a judge. He calls himself a Cambrian, and it is probable that he had a...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Browton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Browton family to immigrate North America: