The Burtons in English History

One of the most interesting aspects of genealogy for me is knowing the history of the various family names. Here's a little history of the Burton family name I found on the web:

"The surname Burton is a habitational name from a place name that is very common in central and northern England. The derivation in most cases is from Old English burh ‘fort’ (see Burke) + tun ‘enclosure’, ‘settlement’. There are at least twenty-nine parishes in England so called. Local surnames, by far the largest group, derived from a place name where the man held land or from the place from which he had come, or where he actually lived. These local surnames were originally preceded by a preposition such as "de", "atte", "by" or "in". The names may derive from a manor held, from working in a religious dwelling or from literally living by a wood or marsh or by a stream. Following the Crusades in Europe a need was felt for a family name. This was recognized by those of noble blood, who realized the prestige and practical advantage it would add to their status. Early records of the name mention Richard de Burton, 1273 Yorkshire and John de Burtone appears County Somerset, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). Willelmus de Burton of Yorkshire was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Giles Burton married Hannah Abberley, St. George's Chapel, Mayfair in 1754. A Shropshire family of this name came originally from Burton, near Much Wenlock. They have held lands near Shrewsbury since the time of Edward IV. Richard Burton (1821-90) the explorer and orientalist, was a member of a cadet branch. The bulk of European surnames in countries such as England and France were formed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The process started earlier and continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the 11th century people did not have surnames, whereas by the 15th century they did. The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884."

And from another source:
"The name Burton is said to have been derived from the residents of its first bearers in places of that name in England. [Burke's Encyclopedia of Heraldry and General Armory of England, Scotland and Ireland, a copy of which is in the State Historical Library University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, states that the Burtons of Falde Hall, county Stafford; Lindley and Bedwood county Leicester: and Dronfield, county Derby, all in England, descended from Ingenulfe de Burton, who came to England with the Conqueror.

William the Conqueror, or William of Normandy, formerly Duke of Normandy, came from Normandy, France, to England in 1066. Normandy is a duchy or state of northern France. Between 850 and 900 A.D. much of northern France was over-run, conquered and settled by Northmen, Norsemen from Scandinavia and Denmark; they were Teutonic people. In 911 King Charles the Simple, King of western France, ceded to Rolf, or Rollo, the Northman the duchy of Normandy, the people of which, then, would be a mixture of French and Teutons, or Norman French, and called Normans. Fifth in descent from Rolf, the Northman, was William, Duke of Normandy, or William of Normandy; subsequently William, the Conqueror, in Oct. 1066; and William I, King of England, crowned in Dec 1066. Ingenulfe de Burton came to England with the Conqueror, then, in 1066. Inge (Ing-gen) in the given name Ingenulfe, is still found in the Danish surname, Ingemann, and in the pleasing Norwegian given, or Christian name, Ingebor or Ingobar. Hence the given name Ingenulfe indicates that he was of Teutonic descent, either Danish or Scandinavian. The de in de Burton is French, meaning of or from. thus the surname is at least part French. The combination of the two, Teutonic and French, would make the name Norman French.

From the name and because he came with the Conqueror, who was Norman French and came from Normandy, it seems one can conclude with safety that Ingenulfe de Burton was Norman French and came from Normandy. Burton is probably a Normandy district, or township, or village, in which he or his ancestors, or both, had lived.

All of the Burtons in England, and there are many of them, are very probably descendants of Ingenulfe de Burton, even if the colony to which they belong is a sub-colony of the first Burton colony or colonies in England."

As you can see from the chart below, even in 1841 there were a lot of Burtons living in Britain. I found this chart on the "your-family-history.com" website that shows the frequency of the name "Burton" in the British census records. Left-click on it to make it larger. Use your browser's back-button to return to the blog:

Oddly enough, my Burton ancestors lived in Wiltshire county in the little village of Tisbury, not mentioned in the above accounts of pirmary Burton settlement areas. Not sure why this is at present, but it should be fun to research.

Albin Burton of Wiltshire, England

Another of my English ancestors was named Albin (or Alban) Burton. I wondered about the significance of such an unusual name. Here is what I found:

ALBAN
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, German
Pronounced: AL-ban (English), AHL-bahn (German)
From the Roman family name Albanus which meant "from Alba" in Latin. Alba was the name of various places within the Roman Empire, including the city Alba Longa. The name "Albin" or "Alban" means white or pale-skinned and was common in Roman and medieval times. It was not common, supposedly, in modern times.

Saint Alban was the first British martyr (4th century). According to tradition, he sheltered a fugitive priest in his house. When his house was searched, he disguised himself as the priest, was arrested in his stead, and was beheaded.

We also find the name, more or less, in Roman/Britain history. The Governor of Britain at the death of the emperor Pertinax, Decimus Clodius Albinus attempted to seize the throne but ended up as Caesar in alliance with another imperial contender, Septimius Severus. After Severus defeated two other rivals, the now expendable Albinus was forced into another attempt at usurpation, an attempt that came to an end at the bloody battle of Lyon in 197 A.D.

Being named after a Roman emporer, however uncelebrated, would be pretty neat I'd say!

A "Must See" in York, England

As we drive between Thurlby and the Middlesbrough area where the Davis Family, who by then had changed the spelling to 'Davies' for some as yet undiscovered reason, lived in the 1860s, we'll be passing very near the town of York. Located in York is Castle Howard. Set in over 1,000 acreas of parkland, lawns, woodland gardens, lakes, fountains, and magnificent rose gardens, it sounds like the perfect place to stop for lunch and spend a quiet afternoon.

Perhaps best known as the setting for the TV series "Brideshead Revisited". Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh who also designed Blenheim Palace, it took 60 years to build (1699-1759). In the 18th century it was redesigned to become the best private residence in Yorkshire. Its magnificent interior is packed with fine furniture and works of art; and its beautiful landscape, where peacocks and pheasants abound, includes a walled garden, woodland walks, lakes, bridges, obelisks, temples, and a mausoleum.

Nearby, is the Nunnington Hall. The Hall stands within eight acres of organically managed grounds, with the main walled garden lying to the south of the building. The Walled Garden includes lawns, orchards, formal Rose beds, mixed borders, a Tea Garden, and an Iris Garden. The orchards are managed as wildflower meadows containing flowers such as Cowslip, Primrose, Snake's Head Fritillary, Buttercup and Camassia all growing below the fruit trees of which most are traditional Ryedale varieties.

Also nearby is the Harlow Carr Gardens. Harlow Carr, set in a pretty valley with streams and woodland, covers 58 acres on the outskirts of Harrogate.The gardens are the headquarters of the Northern Horticultural Society and Harlow Carr shows what can be grown in the north - including some surprises and offers interest for all seasons - from woodland to wildflowers and alpines to autumn colour. Dramatic Rose Revolution borders display the clever use of mixed perennials, grasses and roses beautifully whilst combining sustainable practice, inspirational horticulture with a contemporary twist.

Visiting Middlesbrough, England

Near the end of our journey, Concetta and I are going to visit Middlesbrough, England, where the Davis family lived just before they immigrated to the United States. For some reason when they moved to Middlesbrough from Wales they changed the family name from Davis to Davies. Once they arrived in America in the 1870s, they changed it back. The following is some history of the Middlesbrough I gleaned from the local Dorman Museum:

Although the original settlement of Middlesbrough dates back to the Norman Conquest it is in the latter part of the 19th and 20th centuries that the town’s identity began to evolve.

In 1829 the Middlesbrough part of the Hustler family (of Acklam Hall) estate was sold and eventually went on to business men associated with the then world famous Stockton and Darlington Railway Company. They developed the land into coal shipping at Staithes to export coal from the Durham coalfield. This was just upstream from the present Transporter Bridge. Their ambition was to develop a port that would rival those of Sunderland and Newcastle.

As the first years saw massive amounts of coal moved the owners decided to commission the laying out of the purpose built town of Middlesbrough. The town, perhaps the first 'new town' developed in Britain, was designed on a grid pattern with a market square and church at its center. As the town grew, reaching 9,332 by 1853, other industries began to thrive. These included, shipyards, iron works, printers, breweries and an earthenware company.

In 1841 an Act of Parliament appointed an Improvement Commission to govern the town, meeting to deal with civic issues and the controlling of the market. In 1846 they were able to commission the building of Middlesbrough Town Hall by William Lambie Moffatt.

Henry Bolckow became the first town Mayor of Middlesbrough in 1853, he also went on to become the town’s first member of Parliament when the town became enfranchised in 1868.

Most of the men and their families in the original township came in the 1840s and 1850s to provide the labor in the newly founded industries.

In 1862 the soon to be British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, described Middlesbrough as, ‘the youngest child of England’s enterprise’ and ‘an infant Hercules’.

The vision of the town council was to extend Middlesbrough to the south. Therefore they bought up more building land and speculative housing deals were done creating villa and Victorian terraces in which the upper and middle classes could live. The praise by the Prime Minister for it’s successful was echoed in 1889 when the Prince of Wales said, "Your borough is young in years but the great increase in its population since 1841, and the wonderful development of its commerce are most remarkable and have given it already a position usually reserved for age…….it may be truly said that at the present moment Middlesbrough ranks amongst the highest reputations- not of England only but of the World for the importance of great and varied inductors, especially her vast iron trade."

In the 1870’s industry continued to grow as iron production gave way to steel production and, that produced, traveled the globe. Later the salt works, chemical production and bridge building also grew.

Although today heavy industry has all but ceased, the modern world is still stamped with the name of the town. Girders that make up bridges throughout Africa, Asia and even Sydney Harbor Bridge all bear the legend ‘Dorman Long and Co Ltd., Middlesbrough, England’.

Things to see in Kent, England

I ran across a reference today on things to do and see in Kent, England where we will be staying in the village of Royal Tunbridge Wells. The list includes:

• Leeds Castle, Maidstone - 18 miles northeast.
• Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury - 50 miles east.
• The Hop Farm Country Park, Tonbridge - 5 miles north.
• Dover Castle and Secret Wartime Tunnels, Dover - 63 miles east.
• Hever Castle and Gardens, Edenbridge - 13 miles northwest.
• Penshurst Place and Gardens, Tonbridge - 5 miles north.
• The Historic Chatham Dockyard, Chatham - 27 miles northeast.
• Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Cranbrook - 15 miles east.
• Chartwell, Westerham - 17 miles northwest.
• Howletts Wild Animal Park, Canterbury - 50 miles east.