Litton History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe history of the Litton family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Litton, found in Derbyshire, Somerset, West Riding of Yorkshire and Dorset. 1 The Somerset parish is the oldest dating back to Saxon times when it was known as Hyltton c. 1060. The following dates apply for the rest: Litun, 1086 (Derbyshire); Litone, 1086 (Yorkshire); Lideton, 1204 (Dorset.) 2 Of course the 1086 date refers to their entry in the Domesday Book. 3 It is generally thought that the place names mean "farmstead on a slope," from the Old English "hlith" + "tun." 2 Early Origins of the Litton familyThe surname Litton was first found in Cheshire where Gamel de Litton was registered in 1175. Years later, Henry de Lideton was registered in the Dorset in 1212 and Thomas de Lytton was in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327. 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Hugh de Litton, Northamptonshire; and Symon de Litton, Somerset. 5 Early History of the Litton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Litton research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1581, 1586, 1611, 1615, 1640, 1648, 1660 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Litton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Litton Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Litton include Lytton, Litton and others. Early Notables of the Litton familyNotables of the family at this time include
Litton RankingIn the United States, the name Litton is the 6,394th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6
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 Litton or a variant listed above: Litton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8 Litton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
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