Show ContentsTurton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the ancestors of the Turton family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Yorkshire, at Treeton.

Early Origins of the Turton family

The surname Turton was first found in Yorkshire where Richard of Treeton (Turton) held that village consisting of a church and a mill from the Count of Mortain at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book.

Early History of the Turton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turton research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1584, 1603, 1618, 1622, 1628, 1649, 1662, 1669, 1683, 1698 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Turton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turton Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Turton has been recorded under many different variations, including Turton, Treeton, Treton and others.

Early Notables of the Turton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir John Turton, Judge of the King's Bench who opposed King Charles I; Richard Treat (or Trott) (1584-1669), an early settler in New England and a patentee of the Royal Charter of Connecticut, 1662; a...


Turton migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Turtons were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Turton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Timothy Turton, who settled in Virginia in 1652
  • Miller Turton, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 1
  • Tymothy Turton, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 1
  • Timothy Turton, who landed in Virginia in 1653 1
  • Thomas Turton, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Turton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Turton, who settled in New Orleans in 1820
Turton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Harry Turton, who landed in Arkansas in 1906 1

Turton migration to Australia +

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

Turton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Turton, a plasterer, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • William Turton, a plasterer, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Matthew Turton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Singapore" in 1839 2
  • Eliel Turton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ascendant" in 1849 3
  • Robert Turton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Stebonheath" in 1849 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Turton 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:

Turton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • H H Turton, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1842
  • Mr. Thomas Turton, (b. 1835), aged 22, British groom and gardener travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 5
  • Mr. John Turton, (b. 1837), aged 20, British brassworker travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 5
  • Mr. William Turton, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 5
  • Mr. Edward Turton (Furlow), (b. 1808), aged 52, English farm labourer from Flintshire travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Turton 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
Turton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Francis Turton who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Turton (post 1700) +

  • Ashley Turton (1973-2010), American lobbyist for Progress Energy
  • Walter W. Turton, American politician, Candidate in primary for Circuit Judge in Michigan 31st Circuit, 1966 7
  • George J. Turton, American politician, Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives, 1866 7
  • Thomas Turton (1780-1864), English Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge from 1822 to 1826 8
  • John Turton (1735-1806), English physician to King George III of Great Britain; he treated that monarch during bouts of his madness 8
  • Thomas Trevor Turton (b. 1830), English Lieutenant General, East India Company and British Indian Army officer, illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Edward Mitchell Turton
  • Sir Thomas Edward Michell Turton (1790-1854), 2nd Baronet of Starborough Castle, Surrey, English Legal Advisor to Lord Durham, British North America 1838
  • Sir Thomas Turton (1764-1844), 1st Baronet of Starborough Castle, Surrey, English politician, Member of Parliament for Southwark (1806-1812)
  • Victoria Harriet Lucy Turton (b. 1942), birth name of Harriet Bridgeman, Viscountess Bridgeman, editor and author, English founder of the Bridgeman Art Library
  • Oliver Anthony Turton (b. 1992), English footballer
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. George Henderson Turton, Australian 1st Class Passenger from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 9


  1. 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)
  2. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SINGAPORE (aka SINCAPORE) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Singapore.gif
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ascendant.htm
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEBONHEATH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Stebonheath.htm
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019
  9. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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