The Anglo-Saxon name Emerton comes from the family having resided in Emberton in Buckinghamshire. [1] In the Domesday Book of 1086, the parish was known as Ambretone and literally meant "farmstead of a man called Eanbeorht," from the Old English personal name + "tun." [2]
The surname Emerton was first found in Buckinghamshire at Emberton, a parish, in the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport. [3]
The chapelry of Embleton in Durham was an alternate origin of the family. "This place, anciently called Elmdene from its deep hollow glen abounding with elms, gave name to a family that became resident here about the commencement of the 13th century." [3]
And it is here that the first record of the family was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1230 as Roger de Emilton. Almost one hundred years later, Richard de Embeldon was listed in the same area in 1326. Norman de Embleton was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland in 1332. [4] Embleton is also a parish, in the union of Alnwick in Northumberland.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Emerton research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1560 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Emerton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Emerton has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Emerton, Emberton, Emmerton and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Emerton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Emertons to arrive on North American shores: