Show ContentsHulston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Hulston family

The surname Hulston was first found in Shropshire at Halston, an extra-parochial liberty, in the hundred of Oswestry. "The Knights Templars had a preceptory here, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which subsequently belonged to the Hospitallers. Halston House is a handsome mansion, in front of which is a fine sheet of water, formed by a diversion of the channel of the river Perry." 1

However, we must look to Cheshire to find some of the first entries for the family. Thomas Halstein was listed there in 1227 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273-1279 included a listing for John Halsteyn. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 included an entry for William Halsteyn. A few years later, John de Halston was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1332. 2

Early History of the Hulston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hulston research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1583, 1759 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Hulston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hulston Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hulston include Hailstone, Halstone, Halston, Hailston, Helistones, Ailston, Ailstone, Aylston and many more.

Early Notables of the Hulston family

More information is included under the topic Early Hulston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hulston migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hulston or a variant listed above:

Hulston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ralp Hulston, who landed in Maryland in 1646 3


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)


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