Midleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Midleton family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in one of the many places called Middleton throughout England. "There are several dozen places, larger or smaller, scattered up and down England of this name." 1

The surname Midleton belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Midleton family

The surname Midleton was first found in one of the many villages named Middleton throughout Britain. One of the earlies records of the name was Robert de Mideltone who was listed in 1166 in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Richard de Middleton in Buckinghamshire; Thomas de Middelton in Lincolnshire; and Gilbert de Middleton in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls revealed: Johannes de Midillton; Thomas de Midilton; and Ricardus de Midilton. 1 The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex list William de Midelton in 1327 and The Feet of Fines of Warwickshire list John Middilton (1409-1410.) 2 John de Middleton was vicar of St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, Devon in 1297.

Middleton, Warwickshire is a parish in the union of Tamworth. "the Moxhall estate, is the property of Lord Middleton. Middleton Hall, a seat of Lord Middleton's, is an ancient moated mansion, finely situated, and surrounded by an extensive park. " 3

The name was quick to appear further north in Scotland where "the first of the name recorded appears to have been Umfridus de Midilton who witnessed a grant of the lands of Petmengartenach to the Abbey of Arbroath in 1221. " 4 A few years later, Humfrey de Middiltone of the county of Kincardyn rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. Robert Middleton was a defender of Dunbar Castle against the English in 1296, he was taken prisoner by King Edward I of England. "For about three centuries the family here bore the designation of Middleton of that Ilk." 4

Early History of the Midleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Midleton research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1357, 1488, 1550, 1556, 1580, 1586, 1589, 1608, 1614, 1624, 1627, 1629, 1631, 1636, 1640, 1649, 1651, 1655, 1660, 1662, 1663, 1666, 1673, 1679, 1681, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1705, 1716 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Midleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Midleton 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 Midleton include Middleton, Middelton, Midleton and others.

Early Notables of the Midleton family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Middleton, Sheriff of York; his daughter Margaret (circa 1556-1586), Catholic martyr, who was canonized St. Margaret Clitherow; Thomas Middleton (1580-1627), English playwright; Sir Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle (1586-1666), a Welsh politician and Parliamentary general; John Middleton (c.1608-1673), 1st Earl of Middleton; John Middleton (died 1636), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1629; Thomas Middleton (1589-c.1662), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1660, supporter of the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War; Hugh Middleton, Commander...
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Midleton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Midleton 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 Midleton or a variant listed above:

Midleton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Midleton, who landed in Virginia in 1637 5
Robert Midleton, who landed in Virginia in 1654 5
Mary Midleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 5
Elizabeth Midleton, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 5
George Midleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Midleton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Midleton, aged 29, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 5

Midleton migration to West Indies +

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. 6

Midleton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Joseph Midleton, aged 24, who landed in Barbados in 1683 5

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies