Contents [hide]

Chatterton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Chatterton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Chatterton family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Chatterton comes from when the family lived in Chadderton, or Catterton which had two locations. The first in the parish of Oldham in the county of Lancashire, the second, a township in the parish of Healaugh in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Latin word Cathedra, which means the place by the hill. 1

These locations probably derived their name from the "Saxon, cete-doir-ton, the cottage-town in the wood; from cete or cyte, a cottage, hut, cabin; doir, a wood, and ton, a town." 2

Early Origins of the Chatterton family

The surname Chatterton was first found in Lancashire where "in the 13th century, a Richard de Trafford gave lands of the name Chadderton to his son Geoffrey (circa 1235-1332) who adopted the name of the estate, becoming Geoffrey de Chadderton. Possession of the manor left the family when Margery, a daughter and heir of Chadderton Manor, married a John de Radcliffe in circa 1367. Chadderton Hall was the birthplace of Dr. Laurence Chadderton, an eminent divine at the period of the Reformation, of which he was a zealous promoter; he lived to the great age of 103 years, and died at Cambridge on the 16th November, 1640. " 3

"The Chaddertons were an ancient family, descended from Geoffrey de Trafford, the younger son of Richard de Trafford, who about 1200 received from his father the manor of Chadderton." 4

The Assize Rolls of Lancashire list Geoffrey de Chaderton there in 1281 and later, William de Chaderton, de Chaterton was found in there in 1324. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Alan de Caterton, Yorkshire and over one hundred years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus de Caterton as holding lands there at that time. 6

"Although in general Chatterton must be regarded as a variant of the Lancashire Chadderton, it is almost certain that some of the Chattertons found in the Yorkshire directories are variants of Catterton, a township in the West Riding." 6

Looking at other early records in Lancashire, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 listed Margaret de Chadreton, of Chaderton, Lancashire. 6

"In the 16th century there was a gentle family of Chatterton at Lichfield, Staffordshire, its members often serving as bailiff or mayor of that city." 7

Early History of the Chatterton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chatterton research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1536, 1540, 1584, 1591, 1608, 1640, 1752, 1760, 1765, 1770, 1810, 1824, 1844 and 1871 are included under the topic Early Chatterton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chatterton Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Chatterton has appeared include Chatterton, Chadderton, Chatherton, Chaderton and others.

Early Notables of the Chatterton family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Chaderton, Chadderton or Chatterton (1540?-1608), was successively bishop of Chester and Lincoln, was born about 1540 at Nuthurst, a hamlet of Moston in the ancient parish of Manchester. He wa...
James Assheton of Chadderton, Esquire, was High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1591; and Thomas Chatterton (1752-70), was English poet, a scholar of Colston's bluecoat hospital (1760-1765) and an apprentice...

Chatterton Ranking

In the United States, the name Chatterton is the 15,236^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Chatterton migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Chatterton arrived in North America very early:

Chatterton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Michael Chatterton, who landed in Portsmouth, NH in 1640 9
Thomas Chatterton, who landed in Maryland in 1679 9

Chatterton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Chatterton, who arrived in New York in 1822
John Chatterton with his brother David arrived in Philadelphia in 1828
Nathan Chatterton, who landed in Rhode Island in 1847 9
Jonathan Chatterton, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1864 9

Chatterton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Chatterton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Chatterton U.E. who settled in Elizabeth Town [Elizabethtown], Leeds County, Ontario c. 1783 10
Mr. Samuel D. Chatterton U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 10
Samuel Chatterton, who arrived in Quebec in 1784
Mr. John Chatterton Sr., U.E. (b. 1758) from Westchester, New York, USA who settled in River Remsheg [Wallace], Nova Scotia c. 1785 on 200 acres, resettled in 1800 to Elizabethtown, Upper Canada, Ontario he served in DeLancey's Refugeers, he died in 1822 10

Chatterton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Chatterton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Chatterton, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11

Chatterton migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Chatterton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur Chatterton, aged 35, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 12
Mary Anne Chatterton, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 12
Rosanna Chatterton, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 12
William Chatterton, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 12
Walter Chatterton, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1875 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Chatterton (post 1700) +

James M. Chatterton (1864-1944), American Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Cowboys of the Union Association in 1884
The Right Reverend Eyre Chatterton DD, FRGS (1863-1950), Anglican author and a Bishop in India (1903-1926)
John Chatterton (b. 1951), American wreck diver and television personality, co-host for the History Channel’s Deep Sea Detectives
Tom Chatterton (1881-1952), American silent film actor who appeared in 152 features
Ruth Chatterton (1893-1961), American two-time Academy Award nominated actress, novelist, and early aviatrix
Robert Chatterton, American politician, First Selectman of New Fairfield, Connecticut, 1910 13
Rexford R. Chatterton, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Tompkins County, 1920 13
Mason D. Chatterton (1835-1903), American Republican politician, Ingham County Circuit Court Commissioner, 1864-69; Ingham County Probate Judge, 1873-80; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1884 13
James Chatterton, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Cortland County, 1825 13
Jacob Chatterton, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from New York, 1839 13
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Chatterton 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 a Mort
Motto Translation: Loyal unto death

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html