Re: Hiltons of Alston, England (1700's)

Mark,

The Burkes General Armory lists 16 entries under the name Hilton. Almost all of these entries relate back to three main families:

·The Hilton family of Hilton village in Westmoreland.
·The Hilton family of Hilton Village in County Durham.
·The Hilton family of Hilton Castle in County Durham.

These three families are interrelated. The Westmoreland Hiltons are related to the County Durham family by the marriage of Thomas Hilton to Catherine Backenbury in about 1575. The Hilton Castle family are related to the Westmoreland family by the marriage of Mary Hilton, daughter of Col. John Hilton of Hilton Castle, to Robert Hilton of Westmoreland in 1647.

From this it can be seen that the Westmoreland family fathered the County Durham family, however strong evidence would suggest that the Hiltons of Hilton Castle were related to the Westmoreland family long before 1647. This would directly relate all three families.

Evidence of connections between Hilton families includes:

1. Westmoreland & Hilton Castle families

·The Hilton Castle amorial decoration includes the Hilton crest quartered with crest of Thomas Vipond, Lord of Westmoreland until 1255. The chapel at Hilton Castle is described as having the armorial devices of Hilton quartering Vipont and Stapleton above the south and north windows and on five shields on the west side. In Monkwearmouth Church, under a canopy that bears the shields of the Hiltons and Viponds, there is a very interesting effigy of a knight in plate armour of the early part of the 15th century. This is probably the Baron William Hilton, who built Hilton Castle on the Wear, a quartering to which the Hiltons became entitled by marriage with the heiress of Stapleton. Sir William Hilton married Mary Stapleton“which brought into this family a considerable accession of property as well as an honourable decent in blood” in C1400.

·Near Hilton Beacon in Westmoreland lies Bongate. St. Michael’s Parish Church at Bongate is the ancient burial vault for the Hiltons of Hilton Beacon in Westmoreland. At the North end of Bongate, about a mile from St. Michael’s church, lies Battleburgh . Here in 1281 Lords Clifford, Percy and Vescy (Vesci) founded a convent. The Hiltons of Hilton Castle were related to all three families by marriage:

·Elainor Hilton, daughter of Sir William Hilton and Mary Stapleton, married firstly to Lord Ogle, married secondly to George Percy, third son of Sir Ralph Percy and younger son of Henry the second Earl of Northumberland. Lodges Portraits give details of Algernon Percy, ninth Earl of Northumberland, born in the year 1602, called by writ to the house of Peers as Baron Percy.

·In 1443 Sir Robert Hilton (Lord Hilton) of Hilton Castle married Maud, daughter of Roger de Clifford, Lord of Westmoreland. Married 13th April 1443. The manor of Murton in Westmoreland was anciently held by the Cliffords. In 1315 the manor came to the Musgraves who held it until 1614 when Sir Richard Musgrave sold it to Thomas Hilton Esq. of Hilton. The Hiltons of Hilton Beacon eventually moved from Hilton Beacon to reside in Murton Hall. Lodges Portraits gives details of George Clifford, Third Earl of Cumberland (born C1569, died30th October 1605), and state the family seat to be at Skipton in Yorkshire.

·In the reign of William the Conqueror (1066-1087AD), William Hilton of the Hilton Castle family (the castle not being built at the time) married Benedict Tyson (or Tysonne) Benedict was the sole daughter and heir of German Tyson, who was son of William Tyson, who was son of Richard Tyson, who was the second son of Gilbert Tyson. Gilbert Tyson wasLord of Bridlington, Watton, Malton Alnwick and other great portions of Yorkshire and Northumberland. He had married Beatrix, a Norman and near kinswoman of William, Duke of Normandy and after King of England (William the Conqueror).This Gilbert had two sons by Beatrix, William, who was slain at the Battle of Hastings, and Richard Tyson. William’s daughter, Aldo, married Ivo de Vescy and formed the famous Baron’s Vescy .

·The manor of Aldston Moor in Westmoreland during the reign of Edward II belonged to the Viponds, in the time of Henry V it was the property of John de Clifford, and in the next reign of Thomas Whitlow, who granted it to William Stapleton and his wife. Mary, daughter and co-heiress of the Stapletons, married Sir William Hilton of Hilton Castle.

·Sir Robert Hilton, Baron of Hilton and of Hilton Castle,married Margaret Stapleton of Westmoreland.from this marriage the Hiltons inherited Alston Moor.

·On 25th Sept. 1561 Sir Thomas Hilton of Hilton Castle in his will remembers Thomas Hilton of Burton in Westmoreland and another Hilton in Westmoreland. Surteessays that:
“of this family something may be seen in Burn and Nicholson 1 516, 610. Under Burton and Ormside, and whose connection with the paternal ancestors of the settler seems as problamatic as that of the Lancashire Lords of Parke.

·In 1647 Mary Hilton, daughter of Col. John Hilton of Hilton Castle, married Robert Hilton of Hilton Beacon, Westmoreland. Married at Boldon 2nd November 1647.

2. Westmoreland and Hilton Co. Durham

In C. 1575 Thomas Hilton of Westmoreland married Catherine Brakenbury, daughter of Anthony Brackenbury of Selaby, Co. Pal. This, according to *** started the Hilton/Dyons/Staindrop/Killerby families of Hiltons.

I have considerable research into the Hiltons, and can email it if yuo wish

Regards