Waterton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Waterton family, who lived in Lincolnshire, at Waterton.

Early Origins of the Waterton family

The surname Waterton was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Waterton from the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. The now abandoned village dated back to the Domesday Book where the lands and manor were held by Fulcric. 1 While there can be doubt that Lincolnshire is the original home of this illustrious family, we must look to Yorkshire to see the family's true achievements. For it was here that Rayner de Waterton was Lord of the manor of Waterton about 1100, Sir Robert Waterton was Master of the Horse to Henry IV., and John Wateron served King Henry V. at Agincourt who served the same office where from this place. 2 An old ballad says "Waterton the banner bore, of famed St. George at Agincourt."

Early History of the Waterton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waterton research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1360, 1409, 1425 and 1460 are included under the topic Early Waterton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waterton Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Watterton, Wateton, Waterton, Watertown and others.

Early Notables of the Waterton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Rayner de Waterton, Lord of the manor of Waterton

Migration of the Waterton family to Ireland

Some of the Waterton 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.

Waterton migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Waterton or a variant listed above:

Waterton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Michael Waterton, who landed in Maryland in 1665 3
Will Waterton, who arrived in Virginia in 1665-1666 3

Waterton migration to Australia +

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

Waterton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Waterton, British Convict who was convicted in East Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Waterton (post 1700) +

Charles Waterton (1782-1865), English naturalist and explorer, born at the family seat of Walton Hall in Yorkshire; His family was one of the most ancient in the north of England, and, besides having the honour of mention in Shakespeare 5
Stuart Nicholas Varney Waterton (b. 1960), former English cricketer
Edmund Waterton (1830-1887), British antiquary, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, son of Charles Waterton
Squadron Leader Bill Waterton GM AFC (1916-2006), Canadian test pilot and correspondent for the Daily Express

The Waterton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Better kinde frembd than frembd kyen
Motto Translation: Better a stranger who becomes a friend than a friend who becomes a stranger.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019