Chelton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The Celtic name Chelton was derived from the rugged landscape of Wales. It was taken on as a surname when the Chelton family lived in any of such places as Carlton in Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Durham, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Suffolk, or the East Riding of Yorkshire, or in one of the places called Carleton in Cumberland Lancashire, Norfolk, or the West Riding of Yorkshire. One of the reasons for the numerous entries of the place name is that the name literally means "farmstead or estate of the freemen" 1

Early Origins of the Chelton family

The surname Chelton was first found in Herefordshire, but one family was found at Whitton in Shropshire in early times. "Here is a farmhouse formerly a seat of the Charltons, where James II. visited: a chamber in it contains some superior tapestry of that period." 2

Early History of the Chelton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chelton research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1268, 1300, 1336, 1353, 1360, 1361, 1362, 1369, 1374, 1401, 1559, 1560, 1562, 1573, 1599, 1601, 1605, 1618, 1619, 1628, 1632, 1638, 1642, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1679, 1685 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Chelton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chelton Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames were in Welsh and accordingly were difficult to translate into English. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Chelton have included Carleton, Carlton, Charleton, Charlton and others.

Early Notables of the Chelton family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Charleton, (1268-1353), 1st Baron Cherleton, 1st Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1300-1360), 2nd Baron Cherleton, 2nd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1336-1374), 3rd Baron Cherleton, 3rd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton (Cherleton or Charlton), (1362-1401), 4th Baron Cherleton, 4th Lord Charlton of Powys; Lewis de Charleton (or Lewis Charlton, Lewes de Cherlton) (died 1369), Bishop of Hereford (1361-1369); Sir John Carleton 'of the Bower', notorious Border fighter; Richard Carleton (1560-1638), English composer; Dudley Carleton, Viscount Dorchester...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chelton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chelton family to Ireland

Some of the Chelton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chelton migration to Australia +

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

Chelton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Chelton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1846 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Chelton (post 1700) +

Chelton Linger (b. 1988), Dutch footballer

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANTON 1846. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Canton.htm