Hillton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Hillton surname lived in the parish of Hilton found in several locations including Derby, Dorset, Durham, Staffordshire and the North Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Hillton is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill. In this case the original bearers of the surname Hillton lived in the hill-town.

Early Origins of the Hillton family

The surname Hillton was first found in Durham, now in the area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England where one of the first records of the name was Robert Hylton, 1st Baron Hylton (d. 1322.) His son, Alexander, was called to Parliament in 1332 and 1335. This first line of Barons Hylton continued for 424 years ending with John Hylton, the 18th Baron Hylton (1699-1746.)

Walter Hilton (d. 1396), was a religious writer and Canon of the house of Augustinian canons at Thurgarton in Nottinghamshire. 1

Hylton Castle is now a ruined stone castle in the North Hylton and is owned by English Heritage. "It was the residence of the Hyltons from the time of King Athelstan to the year 1746, and the building has the arms of that ancient family and its alliances engraven on it in numerous places; its battlements are ornamented with statues, and its corners with circular turrets." 2

Early History of the Hillton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillton research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1295, 1296, 1322, 1340, 1356, 1360, 1377, 1385, 1396, 1400, 1435, 1447, 1451, 1457, 1500, 1532, 1535, 1560, 1599, 1609 and 1657 are included under the topic Early Hillton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillton Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Hillton are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Hillton include: Hilton, Hylton and others.

Early Notables of the Hillton family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert Hylton, 1st Baron Hylton (d. 1322); Alexander Hylton, 2nd Baron Hylton (d. 1360); Robert Hylton, de jure 3rd Baron Hylton (1340-1377); Sir William Hylton, de jure 4th Baron Hylton (1356-1435); Sir Robert Hylton, de jure 5th Baron Hylton (1385-1447); William Hylton, de jure 6th Baron Hylton...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hillton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hillton family to Ireland

Some of the Hillton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillton migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hillton or a variant listed above:

Hillton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Hillton, who landed in Virginia in 1721 3

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)