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Hotson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hotson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The origins of the name Hotson are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the name Hudd, a pet form of both Hugh and Richard. 1 2 The surname Hotson features the patronymic suffix -son, which was most common in the north of England and superseded other patronymic suffixes in popularity during the 14th century.

Early Origins of the Hotson family

The surname Hotson was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was John Hudsone, Hutson who was listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1323. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Johannes Hudson; Johannes Hudeson; and Adam Huddeson. 2

There are numerous entries for the name further north in Scotland. One of the first on record there was James Hudson, a charter witness in Kelso in 1466. John Hudsone and Willie Hutson were tenants on land of the Abbey of Kelso in 1567. 4

The castle of Woodcroft in Etton, Northampton was the scene of a rather gruesome event of one of the family. "Castle Woodcroft, is said to have been the scene of the murder of Dr. Hudson, chaplain of Charles I, who was forced over the battlements by the parliamentarian forces stationed here, who, hacking with their swords the hands by which he endeavoured to cling to the walls, caused him to fall into the moat beneath, where he was instantly put to death. The castle has been restored by Earl Fitzwilliam; the tower from which Dr. Hudson was thrown, and the moat in which he was killed, are still entire." 5

Early History of the Hotson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hotson research. Another 225 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1567, 1611, 1612, 1615, 1619, 1630, 1637, 1638, 1660, 1662, 1672, 1676, 1682, 1719 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Hotson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hotson Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Hotson has been spelled many different ways, including Hudson, Hutson and others.

Early Notables of the Hotson family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hotson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hotson migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Hotsons to arrive in North America:

Hotson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas A Hotson, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1861 6

Hotson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hugh Hotson, aged 22, originally from Wellingboro, England, arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 7
John Hotson, aged 25, originally from Hawick, Scotland, arrived in New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Finance" from Colon 7
James Hotson, aged 23, originally from Whitehaven, England, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Liverpool, England 7
Henry Hotson, aged 19, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Imperator" from Southampton, England 7
Ronald Hotson, aged 25, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Noordam" from Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France 7

Hotson migration to Australia +

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

Hotson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Hotson, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Hotson 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:

Hotson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Hotson, aged 19, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Hotson (post 1700) +

Tyler Hotson (b. 1985), Canadian rugby union player
Sir John Ernest Buttery Hotson KCSI, OBE, VD (1877-1944), Scottish administrator in India, Governor of Bombay in 1931, eponym of Hotson's mouse-like hamster and Hotson's jerboa
John "J." Leslie Hotson (1897-1992), Canadian scholar of Elizabethan literary puzzles; he discovered the identity of Ingram Frizer, the killer of Christopher Marlowe, reconstructed the shape of the original Shakespearean theater, known for his work The Death of Christopher Marlowe
Charles Hotson Ebden (1811-1867), South African-born, Australian pastoralist and politician, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Victorian Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative Assembly

Historic Events for the Hotson family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Roy Henry Hotson (1921-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Tuakau, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 9

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx