Familton History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe Familton family name, was a Norman name that came to Scotland from England. It is thought to derive from the village of Hamilton or Hameldune near Barkby in the county of Leicestershire. The village name comes from the Old English elements "hamel," which means "blunt," "flat-topped," or "crooked," and "dun," which means hill. There is a town of Hamilton near Glasgow, which took its name from the family, but may in turn have spawned more instances of the surname. Early Origins of the Familton familyThe surname Familton was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were granted lands by King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. The Clan traces its origin to the Earls of Mellent in Normandy who arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066 AD. They were granted lands in Hambleton in Buckinghamshire. Soon after, Sir William de Hambleton accepted a challenge from John de Spence. Spence was killed, drawing the wrath of King Edward II of England. Sir William fled northwards with his entourage to Scotland, hotly pursued by the king's men. With their pursuers close behind them, Sir William and his servant exchanged clothes with two wood cutters and, using their saw, they cut down a large oak tree to bridge a river. Finally, when at last the tree fell, Sir William cried 'through' and they escaped across the river over the tree. The Clan Hamilton has retained this motto since that eventful day. Early History of the Familton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Familton research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1282, 1296, 1307, 1333, 1392, 1495, 1504, 1520, 1528, 1563, 1575, 1580, 1600, 1604, 1607, 1610, 1623, 1626, 1633, 1636, 1637, 1640, 1646, 1650, 1655, 1658, 1659, 1663, 1666, 1668, 1669, 1670, 1674, 1679, 1685, 1701, 1706, 1707, 1715, 1719, 1720, 1721, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Familton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Familton Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Hamilton, Hamelton, Hameldon, Hamildon, Hamylton, Hambleton and many more. Early Notables of the Familton familyNotable among the family at this time was Sir Patrick Hamilton (d. 1520), a Scottish nobleman, and younger brother of aforementioned James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran; his son, Patrick Hamilton (c.1504-1528), Scottish Protestant martyr, charged with heresy, sentenced by Archbishop Beaton, and burned at the stake in 1528; Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington (1563-1637), Scottish administrator, Lord Advocate, judge, and Lord Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire; Patrick Hamilton (c. 1575-1658), a minister of The Church of Scotland during a turbulent period in Scotland's history, also a poet; Archibald Hamilton (1580-1659), the fourth Anglican Archbishop of Cashel, nominated Bishop of Killala and... Migration of the Familton family to IrelandSome of the Familton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Familton familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: David Hamilton settled in Boston in 1651.
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