Culleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Culleton family

The surname Culleton was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Coleton, held by Warin from his overlord Iudhael of Totnes, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Culleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Culleton research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1172, 1548, 1608, 1635, 1664, 1666, 1669, 1681, 1682, 1685, 1689, 1694, 1700 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Culleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culleton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Colleton, Coleton, Culleton, Culliton, Collaton, Cullaton, O'Culleton, O'Colleton, MacColleton, MacCulliton and many more.

Early Notables of the Culleton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Colleton (1548-1635), English Catholic divine, son of Edmund Colleton, gentleman, of Milverton, Somersetshire.Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet (1608-1666), was an English Royalist officer to King Charles I during the English Civil War; his holdings were seized when the Cavaliers were defeated by Parliamentary forces, but...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Culleton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Culleton family to Ireland

Some of the Culleton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culleton 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:

Culleton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Luke Culleton, aged 48, a tailor, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
Mary Culleton, aged 50, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
Peter Culleton, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
David Culleton, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
Mary Culleton, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Culleton (post 1700) +

James Culleton, Canadian contemporary multi-media artist and designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba
Rodney Norman "Rod" Culleton (b. 1964), Australian politician, Senator for Western Australia (2016-2017)
Beatrice Culleton Mosionier (b. 1949), Canadian Métis author from St. Boniface, Manitoba

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)