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Waitrtown is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Waitrtown family lived in Lincolnshire, at Waterton.
The surname Waitrtown was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Waterton from the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The now abandoned village dated back to the Domesday Book where the lands and manor were held by Fulcric. 1 While there can be doubt that Lincolnshire is the original home of this illustrious family, we must look to Yorkshire to see the family's true achievements. For it was here that Rayner de Waterton was Lord of the manor of Waterton about 1100, Sir Robert Waterton was Master of the Horse to Henry IV., and John Wateron served King Henry V. at Agincourt who served the same office where from this place. 2 An old ballad says "Waterton the banner bore, of famed St. George at Agincourt."
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waitrtown research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1360, 1409, 1425 and 1460 are included under the topic Early Waitrtown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Watterton, Wateton, Waterton, Watertown and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Rayner de Waterton, Lord of the manor of Waterton; and Robert Waterton, (c. 1360-1425), the trusted servant of the House of Lancaster under three monarchs, Henry IV, Henry V, and...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waitrtown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Waitrtown or a variant listed above: J.D. Watertown who landed in New England in 1650; Michael Waterton sailed to Maryland in 1665.