Peyton is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Peyton family lived in Sussex, at Peyton, a small town near Boxford from whence their name derives.
The surname Peyton was first found in Suffolk where "the Peytons have a common descent with the Uffords, afterwards Earls of Suffolk, from the great Baron William Mallet, who came hither at the Conquest. The first of the family who assumed the surname was Reginald de Peyton, lord of Peyton in the parish of Boxford, co. Suffolk, in which county, at Isleham, in later centuries, his descendants were very eminent. In medieval charters, this surname was latinized De Pavilliano and Pietonus." [1] [2] Later some of the family were found at Doddington in Cambridgeshire. " The manor was one of the ancient estates of the church of Ely, and was alienated by Bishop Heton to the crown in 1600; it soon afterwards became the property of the Peytons, who appear to have been settled here nearly a century before, as lessees of the bishop. John Peyton was created a Baronet in 1660, and dying without issue, his next brother, Algernon, was advanced to the same dignity in 1666. The title again becoming extinct in 1771, on the death of Sir Thomas Peyton, who was the last male heir of the family, Henry Dashwood, Esq., whose father had married a daughter of Sir Sewster Peyton, succeeded to the estate, took the name of Peyton by act of parliament, and was created a baronet in 1776." [3] There is a small chapelry named Peyton in Devon in the parish and hundred of Bampton, union of Tiverton and this may be a later branch of the family.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peyton research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1630, 1588, 1657, 1593, 1604, 1595, 1626, 1623, 1613, 1684, 1640, 1644, 1661, 1679, 1622, 1607, 1604, 1657, 1621, 1622, 1624, 1626, 1749 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Peyton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Peyton include Peyton, Payton and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Peyton (1544-1630), English soldier and Governor of Jersey from Isleham, Cambridgeshire; and his son, Sir Edward Peyton (1588-1657), English parliamentarian, High Sheriff of the Cambridgeshire in 1593 and 1604.
Thomas Peyton (1595-1626), was an English poet from Royston, Cambridgeshire, probably a younger son of Sir John Peyton of Isleham.
Sir Samuel Peyton, (d. 1623) was 1st Baronet, of Knowlton, Kent; and his son, Sir Thomas Peyton, 2nd Baronet (1613-1684), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Sandwich (1640-1644) and Kent (1661-1679).
Sir Henry Peyton (died 1622), was an English adventurer, son of...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peyton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Peyton is the 3,749th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [4] However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Peyton is ranked the 708th most popular surname with an estimated 61 people with that name. [5]
Some of the Peyton 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.
In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Peytons to arrive on North American shores: