Aughtan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Aughtan comes from when the family resided at Aughton in the county of Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Aughtan family

The surname Aughtan was first found in Lancashire at Aughton, a village and civil parish within the West Lancashire district. "'Achetun' was held before the Conquest by Uctred, the Saxon proprietor of Dalton and Skelmersdale; the manor, or parts of it, subsequently came to the families of Acton or Aughton. Aughton Old Hall, the ancient residence of the Aughtons, is now a farmhouse." 1

"The share [Aughton, Lancashire, held by] Madoc de Aughton, ancestor of the Aughton family, is harder to trace. He granted to Einion de Aughton the mill by the pool of Aughton and the land of Haylandhurst in exchange for the overflow of the mill waters. Madoc his son gave to William son of Jugge land adjoining Cokemonhurst. Walter son of Madoc succeeded in or before the time of Edward II." 2

This is not the only local so named. Aughton Humber was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Actun and as Achetun. 3 To complicate matters more, Aughton is also a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire and a village near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. Literally, the place name means "farmstead where oak-tress grow," from the Old English words "ac" + "tun." 4 Conjecturally, the Aughton line is descended from Roger of Poitou, the Norman Baron who held the Lordship at the taking of the Domesday Book. Roger was son of Roger de Montgomery and the line became extinct under that identification. Aughton was recorded as having 2 hawk's eyries at that time.

Early History of the Aughtan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aughtan research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aughtan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aughtan Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Aughtan has been recorded under many different variations, including Aughton, Aughtin, Aughten, Aughtan and others.

Early Notables of the Aughtan family

More information is included under the topic Early Aughtan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aughtan family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Aughtan or a variant listed above: John Aughterson, who settled in Boston in 1767.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
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)