From Knights to Dreamers

THE JOURNEY OF OUR UTAH DALTON FAMILY

FROM EARLY 1100 AD to 2007 AD and BEYOND

Author and Compiler

RODNEY GARTH DALTON

With the help of

ARTHUR REXFORD WHITTAKER

Researched by the Dalton Family Research Group of Utah

VOLUME ONE

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR ALL 5 VOLUMES

Chapter 1, Page 1 Chapter 1, Page 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Back to The Dalton Chronicles

INTRODUCTION

This book has been written to tell the story of our Utah Dalton family who traveled from far away across the sea to finally settle in the Great State of Utah.

Our pedigree tells us that our first Dalton come from Normandy France and was given land for service to his King somewhere in the area of Dalton, Lancashire, England that was called “Dale-Tun”, or of a little town in the “dale.” From that time on he was called “Le Sieur de Dalton.” Le Sieur is a French name, probably from the word Sieur, which is something like lord or ruler (from the old word seigneur, lord.) This may also mean either an occupational name for someone in the service of a great lord.

The word Le Sieur is also meant to be “Le Sire.” It is from Old French, from Latin; senior, older; Father; male ancestor; a man of rank or authority, especially Lord. Also means “Mister”- “de” means of a place. Surnames were not used in England until around the 13^th, Century. Just by the spelling and meaning of the name le Sieur, we can see he was in fact from Normandy as told.

Dalton family tradition tells us he may have been named Walter de D’Aliton and was with King Henry II during the invasion of England in 1154 and also with either the “Earl of Strongbow" ” or with King Henry II during the invasion of Ireland in Oct., 1171. Read the story of his reported Irish D’Alton line in chapter two.

From this very first “Dalton” there is evidence that most people with the Dalton surname in the world today are descendants from this first “ Dalton” man.

As you read through these chapter’s of our Dalton family lives, remember that somehow they survived many hard and troubled times and conditions ----Wars, famine, plagues, the trip to America, another war, frontier Indian battles, mob justice, crossing the plains more Indian wars and then living in the wild, wild West. You wonder how they all survived to this day, but they did!

With Photo's - Maps - Documents - Pedigree's - Histories – Stories.

I am sorry to announce that we have lost 2 more Dalton family members.

My son, Scott Rodney Dalton passed away of cardiac arrest on Friday January 10th 2003 in Ogden Utah. He was only 41 years of age and left his wife, Brenda and 5 Children, ages 7 to 21. He was a very successful businessman and was an Elder in the LDS Church.

I am very grateful to Scott for asking me sometime in 1998, where our Dalton family was from and if we were related to the "Dalton Gang" of outlaws. That question started me on my quest to find out just who our Dalton family really was. The rest is history as they say. His family, friends and I will miss him dearly.

This book is dedicated to my son, Scott Rodney Dalton, September 7 1961 - January 10 2003.

On January 29^th 2005, my wife, Tracy Lindsey Dalton passed away from a long fight with brain cancer, she also being only 41 years of age. Her story is written, along with mine in volume number two of this Dalton Family history.

Why Genealogy?

Part my thoughts and part of something I read at one time in the past.

Why would anyone be interested in spending so much time researching and hunting down the stories, names, and information about family members whom they never even knew?

Well, maybe that is the reason I started -- I never knew them.

When I was young, I remember being fascinated by history. All my life I have only read true life stories about people and places.

I guess it also intrigues me to see how much of a trace my ancestors left behind. What kind of legacy or lasting impression did they leave behind? What did they do with their lives? Almost every time I sit down to enter a batch of newly discovered names into my computer file, I start to think about lives and how they must have lived. I can input several generations in just a matter of minutes... first name, last name, born on, married to, died on, buried at... and yet in the few seconds it takes to summarize a life in this way, I wonder, "how much more was there to this person's life than these cold facts?"

I hope that the photos, stories, notes, names and charts I have assembled for this book will tell my descendants a little about the people who came before them. I hope this collection will be an example that will stir their hearts to do something significant with their own lives. They may not make it into the history books, but if they allow God to use their life to influence others, they will have left an indelible mark on generations to come!

Genealogy is a means to retrieve the lost souls of the dead and bring them back into our memories and to set down a permanent record to show future generations how they can have a dramatic impact on families that come after they are long gone.

As a member of the L.D.S. Church it is a duty of mine to find every departed member of my family and submit their name into our Temple records.

Rodney Garth Dalton

PREFACE

Let me explain on how this Dalton Family History book is laid out. I decided that there has been not enough written about the descendent's of Le Sieur de Dalton and that I would write about my Dalton family history in chronological order; i.e. from the years of 1100 AD to 2008 and beyond.

Some of our Dalton cousins here in America have wrote their own Dalton Family histories that gives some information on the earliest Dalton's from England, but most of their books deal with their own line of Dalton's that start with Thomas Dalton, our first ancestor to come to America.

The book that we in the Utah Dalton family call the “Our Dalton Bible” is, “The John Dalton Book of Genealogy” published in 1965 and written by Mark Ardath Dalton, who was a descendant of one of the three Dalton brothers that come to Utah with the pioneers in 1848. In this book there are a few pages about the early Dalton history in England. Most of it is pedigree lines of the America Dalton's starting with Thomas Dalton.

On the next page you will find the 5 chapters in this Vol. 1 book of histories about many subjects of interest to all Dalton’s and they’re extended families.

We start out with the history of the first Dalton, whom we assume was Le Sieur de Dalton, and who is said to be the founder of our English and Irish Dalton family lines.

In the first chapter, Volume 1, Le Sieur de Dalton is labeled as number 1 and highlighted in blue. His son or heir is listed as number 2 and so on down to my own family who is listed as number 30 in Volume 2, chapter number 9. I am listed as number 27.

My son Scott and Grandson Jason and his son Gage make over 900 years of Dalton history.

In each generation I have added as many histories and stories of their lives and times as I could find. I think you will find its very interesting!

Some of you English readers will probably find mistakes I have made in research or quoted of your early Dalton ancestors and for that I am truly sorry. I hope in the future I can correct these mistakes.

Rodney Garth Dalton

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

VOLUME I

CHAPTER ONE – Our Dalton family in Lancashire England

CHAPTER TWO – Our Dalton family in Ireland

CHAPTER THREE – Our Dalton Family in Oxfordshire England

CHAPTER FOUR – Our Dalton Family in South Wales

CHAPTER FIVE – Thomas Dalton Comes To America From Wales

VOLUME II

CHAPTER SIX - John Dalton Sr. born in America

CHAPTER SEVEN - The History of John Dalton’s Sons

CHAPTER EIGHT - The History of the Dalton Family in Utah

VOLUME III

CHAPTER NINE - The Dalton family settles in Circleville Utah.

CHAPTER TEN - Garth C. Dalton moves to Ogden Utah

VOLUME IV

CHAPTER ELEVEN - Some of our Dalton Wives

CHAPTER TWELVE - Dalton In-laws & Related Families

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Our Dalton Family in Nauvoo

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Early Ancestors of Some of Our Dalton Wives

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - How Our Dalton Family Connects to the Royal Houses

VOLUME V

CHAPER SIXTEEN - Vikings and Dalton Connection

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - The History of John Doyle Lee

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - Anne Radcliff's Ancestors

CHAPTER NINETEEN - Roger Dalton's Connections to King Henry II

CHAPTER TWENTY - History of the Medieval Wives' Families

CHAPTER 1

Our Dalton family in Lancashire England - The First Thirteen Generations

The Dalton Coat of Arms hereby illustrated
is officially documented in “Burke’sGeneral Armory”.

The original description of the Arms (Shield) is as follows:
“Azure semee of Crosses Crosslet de lis a lion rampart guardant argent.”

When translated the Brazon also describes the original colors of the Dalton Arms as:
“BLUE; STREWN WITH SILVER CROSSES CROSSLET; A SILVER RAMPANT LION, FACING FORWARD.”

Of note is this above Coat of Arms is not the one that the Dalton Genealogical Society Uses on the cover of their Journal.

The story of Le Sieur de Dalton and his descendent's from about 1100AD, to the year 2008 AD and beyond:

Of note is that various Dalton Family researchers over the years have shown Le Sieur birth date from 1088 AD, up to about 1125 AD.

The start – Probably from somewhere in the province of Normandy, France, Hauteville we think, to Lancashire and Oxfordshire in England, then onto Pembrey, South Wales, and then to America. Our Dalton family spent time in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nauvoo Ill. and finally went West to the Great State of Utah!

Our Dalton family tradition tells us that the first Dalton man was from Normandy and maybe was with Duke William during the battle of Hastings in late 1066. On Christmas day 1066 the Duke was crowned King of England. King William I had now owned all the land in England so he allotted certain portions of it to his deserving followers as tenants. The holders of these great lands were tenants-in-chiefs or Barons and under them were their Knight's. Thus there were about five thousands Knight's at the King's call. In the year 1087 there were about two hundred thousand Normans and French in England.

I believe one of these Knight's was our own le Sieur de Dalton. He would have been made a Knight and given land for his service to the Duke during the battle of Hastings. There is with the above statement a time line problem because of the dates between 1066 and the second invasion of England by the future King Henry II that our Dalton tradition tell us about. So there probable was a few more generations of Dalton's ancestors of the le Sieur de Dalton we tell you about in1154.

There also has been an ongoing debate about the origins or race of this first Dalton man. A few say he was original British, being of true Celtic nationality and the rest say he was a Norman, which is a true Viking or Northmen as they say. Remember our tradition tells us he was from Normandy. Some researchers say that the Vikings or Normans were also Celtic so the debate is without merit. Maps will show this as fact. With all my research and reading after 15 years i personally feel that our le Sieur de Dalton was Norman and he was also Celtic and did come over to England during one of the invasions as told above.

This history was compiled from many genealogical sources and histories, family records and bibles, written articles and genealogy research by Dalton Family members and other interested people. Some of this early history of our Dalton Family in Lancashire, England has been copied from a book written by Mrs. Frances Edith Dalton Leaning of England. Mrs. Leaning did extensive research on the Dalton family in England from 1935 to 1951. Her book has been distributed to many Dalton family researchers.

The Internet played a large part in this book because you can access millions of files from around the world. But you also find much inaccurate data, so please use the Internet only as a guide to your research.

Also we must give special thanks to “The Dalton Genealogical Society” of England, founded by Michael Neale Dalton in November of 1970. I have a 100% DNA match with Mr. Dalton, which proves both of us are from the same Dalton line from Pembrey, Wales. Some of the history of our Dalton family would not be possible without their knowledge of early Dalton genealogy. Remember that there are many of our Utah Dalton family who are not members of the DGS and therefore have and never will read the hundreds of articles that is published in the DGS Journal twice per year. In this chapter I have quoted many Dalton informational articles that were published since about 1970. I hope Michael and the other members of the DGS will give me permission to quote from their Dalton material.

Also many thanks to our cousin, Leslie Dalton Crunk in Oregon for supplying information from her own Dalton history books and sending them to us for review. I have taken the liberty of adding some of Leslie’s work to some of the later chapters in our Dalton history. She also helped me edit some chapters.

Other major sources were:
Millicent Craig, Vice President Dalton Genealogical Society.

The LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City Utah.

The Harold B. Lee Library on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo Utah.

The Carmarthenshire Family Historical Society of Wales.

The Pipe Rolls. Also called GREAT ROLLS OF THE EXCHEQUER.

Many articles from the Dalton Genealogical Society Journal.

The “John Dalton Book of Genealogy” by Mark A. Dalton

Mrs. Edith Leanings “Dalton Book”

(Disclaimer)
This is addressed to any reader who is a “Nay Sayer” There are no endnotes in this book, only source notes that are listed where necessary.

What I have found during my research is that the most difficult part of Genealogy is how to ‘document’ the information I found. And, even more important, was how to evaluate a particular source accuracy. Thirty years ago, it was much simpler, because most of the information you found was ‘published’, usually in book form, and this is easy to document. In today’s world, with the Internet, there are genealogies all over the place and many are not documented at all. So the obvious question most people will have about my book is - Where did all the information come from? This is not easy to answer. First off, I must apologize to all the persons, living and dead, who I have shamelessly copied from, without giving the proper credit. Originally, I started by adding information from the “John Dalton Book of Genealogy” This is my first genealogy book, and while looking for my ancestors, I started to add other names from other sources and never stopped until I got to the end of the book.

From this basic information, I have used every source I could find to confirm, modify, add to and refine my book. One of the first problems I found was that many sources contradicted each other. My philosophy was to compare, combine and adjust the information in each to match whatever historical documents I could find - such as Wills, birth announcements, marriage listing, and census lists. So that now, much of the information in my book comes from a combination of sources. Many details come from other genealogies that I found either on the Internet, or at Historical Societies.

You will also notice that I have done very little traditional 'source documenting' for my information. I am sure I will get my '20 lashes' from Traditional Genealogists. I would just like to take a minute to defend my actions. First, I am guilty of both being naive and of being lazy. I initially did not think of ever publishing this book, and so did not know how, nor did I attempt to educate myself on how to properly document my information. So, I initially listed sources to my original documentation. But as I learned that I should be documenting everything, I discovered that this was not necessarily of any special use to me in my work. Just because I found something in one ‘source’ did not mean it was correct, nor did the ‘source’ tell me where 'he' got the information from. Other historical genealogists do not list for every person, and every birth, death, marriage, maiden name, etc. where they received the information. They would just list it, and you would have to judge for yourself whether the information was accurate or not. I would like you to look at my Dalton book in the same way.

What I have done, is when I found an original piece of documentation, such as a census listing, a marriage listing, a cemetery listing or headstone transcription, Last Will and Testament, etc., I have noted that information in my 'sources'. I will also note when I find a source that contradicts other information I have found and I will sometimes arbitrarily decide which source I will 'accept' as most accurate. For some of my entries, you will probably not see any 'sources'. This means that the information was found on someone's family genealogy, and there was no 'original source' mentioned. My assumption is that if someone took the time to publish something, or add it to their genealogy, I will accept it as truthful, until I find information to the contrary, at which time I will try to find some original sources to help me decide which information is more accurate.

So, if I have no 'end notes' that show where I got my information from, you can assume that I found it as you did, with no source or documentation, and it must be accepted or rejected by you.

I do understand that this is not the correct way to write a Genealogy History book, but if I put endnotes for every item, there would be far to many pages to print this book. I wanted to put everything I could find pertaining to all Dalton families, not only of our Utah line. Some of the information was obtained after many years of searching for the Dalton name. Some was obtained by searching the LDS Family History library in SLC Utah. This means hundreds of books, film and microfilm to look at! Some information was taken from past research of other Dalton family researchers that did a lot of research before I got started. I hope the committee members of the Dalton Genealogical Society will forgive me if I have made some errors in quoting they’re material, but there is information in this first chapter that I’m sure they are reading for the first time.

Rodney Garth Dalton - 2008.

I joined the Carmarthenshire Family Historical Society of Wales in 1998 and paid to have the owners, Richard and Pauline James search for our Dalton and any related families in every record they could find. They did in fact find hundreds of records! I have these on file. If anyone needs further proof of what’s in this book, please feel free to call me and I will discuss it with them. There is no standard LDS style family group sheets, but there is photo’s that is in every standard library book.

The following are sources of our pedigree used by Mrs. Leaning in her Dalton Book. The Dalton Book was written between 1935 and 1951 in two books. Book one relates to the early history of the Dalton’s of Bispham & Thurnham Hall, of the Senior Dalton line. Book two relates to the history of the Junior Dalton line, of which our Utah Dalton family is descended.

Mrs. Frances Edith Dalton Leaning was an English lady related to our Dalton’s in England who spent many years researching and writing about her Dalton line.

1 - A roughly made pedigree, compiled by F.M. Deane, wife of Dr. Benjamin Neale Dalton of Norwood (1844-1914), identifies the first four ancestors beginning with Le Sieur de Dalton.

2. The Norroy records, a collection of papers known as the Harleian Manuscripts, and printed by that Society in Vol. XVI, p. 85 of their publication, are used predominantly in this compilation. The Norroy publication gives few dates, but does give genealogical information of great value as to the family's descent.

3. Burk's Peerage was used to confirm (or conflict) the Norroy publication in some instances.

4. An early Dalton family Bible was also used as another source of the pedigree, Which is also known as “FB”

5. The Victoria County History of Lancashire, or VCHL. This is the standard history of Lancashire County, in eight great volumes, with hundreds of illustrations, views, plans, and of course, coats of arms. Every statement is documented with references to the sources of information. As you read this history, bear in mind that the differences in spelling are of no consequence; the old forms of spelling were so freely changed that the same name could be spelled in several different ways by the same writer within the same paragraph.

What are the Harleian Manuscripts or the Harleian Society Series? Briefly, they are the genealogist’s dream world to early English families. Over 20,000 families registered their lineage from the Conquest down to the 17th century. They are a record of the "Visitations", the peripatetic investigation of heralds and pursuivants of English and Welsh families from about 1530 to the close of the 17th century. Also included are some Irish and Scottish families who were picked up because they had arrived and settled in England and Wales from their original domains in those countries. They are recorded in Manuscripts and their folios and are now held in the British Museum in London, England.

Concerning our family's origin, VCHL. Vol. IV page 98 reads: "The Dalton family who took their name from this township, but who are better known as the lords of Byspham in Leyland, and afterwards of Thurnham, probably held under the de Holland’s and their successors."

The following items are extracted from the Domesday Book:
"In the manor of Crakehill, Dalton, Asenby, Skyeton, Bernulf had 26 carucates of land to be taxed, where they may be 15 ploughs.”

“The ancient parish of St. Andrew’s included the four constabularies or townships of Dalton-le-Dale, Morton-in-the-Whins, Cold Hesledon, Dalden (or Dawdon) and outlying farms. The largest of these and the parish seat was Dalton-le-Dale, described in c. AD 700 by the Venerable Bede as a cluster of 'ten households round the Guildhall of Witmar, Saxon and Soldier of Christ'. In 1155 the boundaries between the possessions of the Church of Dalden and those of the Lords of Dalden were decided by arbitration. St. Andrew's at Dalton-le-Dale has been tentatively dated at c.1150, but this was in the turbulent reign of King Stephen, 84 years after the Conquest, when a civil war over the throne was in progress and the Scots had taken the opportunity of English disunity to seize most of the north of England.”

As you can see from these items from the Domesday Book, the name of Dalton was mentioned.

Origin of the name Dalton:
A Think piece from Millicent V. Craig - Vice President, Dalton Genealogical Society

A "desperate" plea by a reader to learn the origin of the name, Dalton, led your editor to ponder the question. One popular explanation is that Dalton is Norman in origin and refers to people who lived in a high place. Often referred to, yet unconfirmed, is the village of Hauteville in Normandy as a possible site.

There are a few recorded facts or clues in the Domesday Book, assembled in 1086 by William the Conqueror. It was the first census of lands and ownership so recorded. Listed in the book are several towns by the name of Dalton and, in fact, there are up to 20 hamlets in England that bear the name, Dalton. There is one on a hill in Cumbria, Dalton-in-Furness. There are many Dalton towns or villages in what is Yorkshire today. One is named Dalton le Dale, a name that runs counter to the general hilly descriptive. There is Dalton south of Wigan in Lancashire, from whom the Bispham, Croston, Thurnham, and the Welsh Dalton's claim title.

Surnames were not in use in the 11th and 12th Century and people were often identified according to the town in which they lived. For example, a name on a document might appear as Bernard de Dalton or Ethelbert de Dalton, meaning Bernard of the town of Dalton and Ethelbert of the town of Dalton. It does not necessarily follow that there was a biological relationship between the two men or that their surname was originally Dalton. Gradually the "de" was dropped and in succeeding centuries a name might read Bernard Dalton or Ethelbert Dalton. When one examines the ethnic disparity of the given names, one gathers the impression that the roots of these Dalton's may be quite varied. The same is true for the cluster of de Dalton's who is cited in medieval documents in what is now Yorkshire. According to our expert, Dr. Lucy J. Slater, the senior line of Dalton's was located in Yorkshire as evidenced by the unadorned crest. Lancashire Dalton's were of the cadet line and distinguished by the addition of crosslets on the crest.

Lucy also reminds us that on 20th of Sept 1066, King Harold of Norway landed with 9000 men on the north East Coast of England, east of York. Although many were killed or returned to Norway, it is also likely that some remained and married into the local population. But even before the Norman’s arrived, the Romans had gone to York. A Latin dictionary shows "De" means of, "Altus" means height, "Onus" means single. In Latin the word, Dalton, means of a single hill and is similar to the meaning in Norman French. Roman soldiers also married into the local populations wherever they went, so there very well could have been people of Roman blood on single hills near York in these hamlets named Dalton.

When researching the Lancashire Dalton's, whom we know most about, we find that de Dalton was in use in the 13th Century in the town of Dalton near Wigan. In addition, when examining early data in southern England, de Dalton appears and reportedly stems from late comers from Normandy. On the Scottish Island of Islay there is a Church and a Celtic cross that bears the name, Dalton. It was reportedly erected between the 11th and 13th Centuries. Buried there are 17 members of a community. Where did this group originate? Was it from across the Irish Sea? We think of the Irish Dalton's stemming from one Anglo/Norman, Walter de Aliton, although we still have no documentation of his existence. The high concentration of Dalton's in County Westmeath was certainly evidence of a Dalton founder. Yet there was another Dalton, Roger, who originated in Yorkshire and emigrated from Wales and settled in Waterford. How many more were there from other places?

K. T. Mapstone has noted that the proper name, Dalatun or Dalatune has been transcribed as Dalton. Although many scholars attribute these words to the Gaelic language, she notes that is the name of a town in Iceland and of one in Norway. Viking in origin?

So how do we answer the question of the origin of the name, Dalton? There is no one answer. The best we can say is that it relates to a town or geographical area. As we continue our research we are learning that there appear to be many founding fathers in the Dalton lines and only a serious archaeological DNA study may ever produce answers.

Another source of the origin of the Dalton surname is from the following article:
“We refer people interested in tracing ancestry of American families to a collection of ninety folio volumes of more than four hundred pages each, compiled by Col. Joseph Lemuel Chester. These volumes are extracts from parish registers. The English were so grateful to Col. Chester for his genealogical work in compiling "The Marriage, Baptismal and Burial Registers of the Collegiate Church, or Abbey of St. Peter, Westminster" that they made Col. Chester one of the four Americans to whom they have placed memorials in Westminster Abbey. Source unknown.

The name Dalton in the days of William the Conqueror was written D'Alton. Yorkshire fell to the lot of Count D'Alton, one of the henchmen of William the Conqueror. From this Count D'Alton the American family of Dalton in Virginia descends. This according to Dr. Robert Hunter Dalton's family record that is filed in the library of the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis. Dr. Hunter is from the early No. Carolina Dalton's.

During one of my recent trips to the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, I discovered some very early Dalton names. We can’t as yet connect these names to Le Sieur de Dalton, but it is entirely possible that he was in England long before the date our history tells us he was. These new names could be his descendants that we don’t know about. Further research is needed to prove a connection. These Dalton names have been added to our pedigree chart. Now that I have said this above, please note that these new names could also be just “of “ Dalton and not of our Dalton line.

Some new names and sources found are as follows:

Rogero de Daltuna (The Latin spelling for Dalton)

Bernard de Daltona

Erenbald de Daltona

Phillip de Dalton

Benedictus de Dalton

Euro de Daltona

Richardus de Dalton

Petrum de Dalton

Willelmo de Dalton

Willimus de Dalton

Source:
THE LANCASHIRE PIPE ROLLS of 31 Henry 1, AD 1130 and of the reigns of Henry II, AD 1155-1189 and Richard I AD 1189-1199 and King John AD 1199-1216.

Also Early Lancashire Charters of the period from the reign of William Rufus to that of King John.

"Writ - March 20 Edward III

Lincoln. inq. Taken at Croxton.

William de Dalton, parson.

Source:
From the book - # 942. Page 270 Vol. 1 at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah

"CALENDAR of the CHARTER ROLLS"

April 28 1242 in Winchester.

"Inspeximus and confirmation of a charter of Wather, Archbishop of York, giving to the chapter of York, his mansc in Thrope St. Andrew and all that he has there, on the south side of the water course called Caldicotsike; etc. All the lands he had in Beverly from Philip de Dalton;"

Source:
From the book # 942. Part 2 at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

"The Book of Fees"

Commonly called TESTA DE NEVILL reformed from the earliest MSS.

by the deputy keeper of the records AD 1242-1293.

Ricardus de Dalton, tenet xx,iiij. acras in Seton' pro ijs.

Willelmus filius Avicie Hamon et Walterus veniut et omnes vocant ad warantum

Petrum de Dalton, quiest presens et eis warantizat;

The Great Roll of the pipe for the Twenty first year of the reign of King Henry II AD 1174-1175:

LANCASTRE: DE TRIBUS ANNIS

Benedictus de Daltona

Nepotes sui Daltona

Source: Book # 942 B4 pr Vol. 22 page # 6. At the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

Eudo de Daulton' redd. cornp. de xx. s. quia retraxit se de appellation sua. In thesauro liberavit. Et quietus est.

Source: Pages 78 & 83 - book # 942 B4 pr Vol. 26 of The Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Third year of the reign of King Henry the second AD 1176-1177.

The Pipe Roll Society of London.

"Willelmo de Dalton"

Source: Page 43-44 Vol. 31 book # 942 D4 pr

The Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Eighth year of the Reign of King Henry second AD 1181-1182, The Pipe Roll Society of London.

Willimus de Daltona

Source: Page 45 Vol. 30 # 942.D4 pr

"The Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Seventh year of the Reign of King Henry the second AD 1180-1181. Published by the Pipe Roll Society, London.

Information about the Domesday Book:
The Domesday Book was commissioned in December of 1085 by William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. The first draft was completed in August 1086 and contained records for 13,418 settlements in the English counties south of the rivers Ribble and Tees (the border with Scotland at the time). It contains; general survey of the lands in the kingdom, their extent in each district, their proper tenures, value, the quantity of meadow, pasture, wood and arable land which they contained, and in some countries the number of tenants, cottages and slaves of all denominations who lived upon the land.

During the last years of his reign, King William (the Conqueror) had his power threatened from a number of quarters. The greatest threats came from King Canute of Denmark and King Olaf of Norway. In the Eleventh Century, part of the taxes raised went into a fund called the Danegeld, which was kept to buy off marauding Danish armies.

The Domesday survey is far more than just a physical record though. It is a detailed statement of lands held by the king and by his tenants and of the resources that went with those lands. It records which manors rightfully belonged to which estates, thus ending years of confusion resulting from the gradual and sometimes violent dispossession of the Anglo-Saxons by their Norman conquerors. It was moreover a 'feudal' statement, giving the identities of the tenants-in-chief (landholders) who held their lands directly from the Crown, and of their tenants and under tenants. (Our le Sieur de Dalton was a landholder in Dalton at this time)

The fact that the scheme was executed and brought to complete fruition in two years is a tribute of the political power and formidable will of William the Conqueror.

Source:
The Encyclopedia Britannia.

Under the feudal system, everyone who did not hold directly from the Crown, as most of the high nobility did, held from some member of that class. The Hollands or Holands were a great family in the Hundred. (A Hundred is a division of a county in England, originally supposedly containing a hundred families, warriors or manors.) In one MS pedigree, drawn up by an unknown hand, our pedigree is prefaced by several of the Hollands one of them, Adam, being the immediate progenitor of the first de Dalton. An Adam de Holland is often referred to in the VCHL, and there were several Roberts in the 13^th, century. The Arms of Holland only varied from the Daltons by having fieurs-de-lis instead of cross-crossiets, the design and colours being the same.

When William of Normandy became king of England, his fellow Normans became the "nobility" of their new land. They were the barons who were given land and in return swore to defend William's kingdom. The "nobles" became rich and over the years they and their kings sought more wealth in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Not as successful in these Celtic lands as they were in England, they had to settle for the East Coast of Ireland.

Attire of the Nobility:
Brightness of color and length of clothing was a sign of status. Velvet, silks and furs were used.

Men wore: Tunics fitted close to the hips, reached the knees or ankles, secured by a belt. Silk hose. Robes of silk and fur.

Women wore: Dresses with long, trailing sleeves with gold embroidery and pearl beadwork.

Mantle - A loose, trailing cloak, fur lined with silk tassels. Worn with a cape.

Pelisse - A long, fur-edged winter garment.

Underwear - made of white linen.

Headdress -Chaplets, worn on gala days, a thin, gold wreath of floreated design or studded with pearls. Women also wore brightly-colored velvet or cloth bonnets. Some had flattened, square tops called mortiers. Braided hair intertwined with linen. During bad weather a chaperon was worn, a cape with a peaked cap.

Gloves - Made of chamois (soft deer leather).

Belts - Leather studded with jewels. Women's belts of linen or silk. Women also wore outer girdles embedded with agates or sapphires.

Outer girdles -embedded with agates or sapphires.

Purse - Made of silk, held by silver chain at belt.

Shoes - leather or cloth, could be plated with gold or studded with jewels.

Also - Rings, jewels, brooches, gold pins, necklets, buckles and women wore mascara.

The Diet of the Rich:
Best food eaten, but the meats and desserts negated the nutrition of the vegetables. Drank wine, strawberry, raspberry mulberry drinks, and verjuice and honey. Verjuice was the sour juice of apples or grapes. Desserts included gillyflower comfits, pudding, apple and quince tarts and marmalade. Ate fish, fowl, and meats from their livestock and the game animals that were forbidden to the peasants.

Children of the Nobility:
Sons would stay at home until they were 8 years old. They would then become the Page of a knight or another nobleman. At age 16 they would become a squire, and a knight at age 20. Boys age 7 or 8 learn fencing with wooden and blunted swords. Age 10 learn how to ride a horse, use hawks, train dogs and go into the forests to develop resourcefulness, sense of direction and woodcraft. Learn how to read and write. Play chess, checkers and backgammon. Play harp and sing. Shoot with arbalist (crossbow), fence, use lance and shield. The squire kept his lord's sword, lance and shield. He would be given weapons and a coat of mail and learn to joust. He would rise at dawn to curry his master's horse. Then to castle to help his master wash and dress. He would wait on his lord and lady at table and carry his lord's banner when out riding. The squire was also responsible for the guests, and had to learn courtesy. He was also a messenger, and carried a purse and keys for his lord's coffers and also accompanied the seneschal on his last rounds and slept at his master's door. His jousting skills were developed by practicing with the ring and quintain, putting lance through ring while riding, and striking quintain with lance. The quintain was a post with two revolving arm, one which held a club. If the lance missed the post and struck the arm, the other arm would swing around and hit the rider. Girls would learn how to read and write, do arithmetic, astronomy and medicine.

Source:
The Encyclopedia Britannia.

**************************************************

There are three places I found where the name of “Le Sieur de Dalton” is listed.

The first is in the notes of John Luther Dalton who started his genealogy research during his L.D.S. Church mission from 1863 to 1866.

(Read John Luther’s history in chapter 6)

The second is from “The John Dalton Book of Genealogy” by Mark Ardath Dalton.

The third place in from the “Dalton Book” by Mrs. Frances Edith Leaning (Dalton).

The below is copied word for word from page 25, Chapter 9 “The John Dalton Book of Genealogy”.

Pedigree of the Dalton Family as compiled by JOHN LUTHER DALTON:

A copy was obtained from Voyla Dalton Smith, the daughter of John Luther Dalton and a copy of the Dalton pedigree chart sent to Sarah Cedenia Dalton of Parowan, Utah, by John Luther Dalton.

In a letter sent to me, dated March 19, 1960, Mrs. Voyla Dalton Smith has this to say: "Father left on a mission to England the 28th of April 1863 and returned 1866. He also made a subsequent trip to England for genealogical research in 1888 and compiled his findings in 1889. Father never put down the source of his information as I have indicated but Mother said that he searched histories, deeds, wills, cemetery records and etc."

Listed below are only the first 2 names that is quoted from pages 231 & 232 of the “John Dalton book”

-- 1 --

Le Sieur or Sire de Dalton came from Normandy, France, in 1153 AD with King Henry II of England.

The eldest son John was granted on the death of his father, the Manors of Dalton and Byspham in Lancashire, England. He executed a deed in favor of his eldest son John 1193 AD. He had two sons. (We have since learned that Le Sieur de Dalton had a third son, Phillip, who went to Ireland with his father. Remember all this must be proven by records as we search for the true Descendants of Le Sieur de Dalton.)

-- 2 --

John Dalton or Doldon was given a deed 1193 AD Lancashire, England. Simon de Dalton was mentioned in a deed 1190 AD Lancashire, England”

John Luther Dalton at the age of 19 was called on a mission to England by President Brigham Young, departing the 28 April 1863. While in England he did an extensive amount of research work in the fields of genealogy. He also met the girl that was to become his wife, Elizabeth Mary Studer. She with her family emigrated to America and Utah in early September 1866, and they were married on the 21st of September 1866.

In 1888 he made another trip to England, this time for himself. The Dalton families are indebted to him and the efforts he put forth, leaving no stone unturned to gather data as far back as could be found on the Dalton progenitors. He found that Le Sieur Dalton had two sons, John and Simon de Dalton, and came from Normandy about 1153 A.D. at the time of King Henry II. (Note: We have since have found a third son, Phillip, who went to Ireland with his father)

So according to John Luther Dalton, the first Dalton that he found was Le Sieur de Dalton who came from Normandy, France, in 1135 with King Henry II. But how can this date be true. Henry II would only be about 2 years old in 1135 if he were born in 1133. (See below) I believe John Luther got the date wrong, it should be 1153.

Henry Plantagenet, King Henry II, King of England, was born March 25 1133, in Le Mans, France and died July 61189 in Chinon, England. He is buried at Fontevrand Abbey.

So this date of 1135 is wrong. The probable date is closer to 1153, which would make King Henry II, 21 years old.

Note: Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Normandy was crowned King of England on December 19^th 1154 at Westminster Abbey, Middlesex, London, England. Henry was raised in the French province of Anjou and first visited England in 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed throne of Stephen. His continental possessions were already vast before his coronation: He acquired Normandy and Anjou upon the death of his father in September 1151, and his French holdings more than doubled with his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitane (ex-wife of King Louis VII of France). In accordance with the Treaty of Wallingford, a succession agreement signed by Stephen and Matilda in 1153, Henry was crowned in December 1154. The continental empire ruled by Henry and his sons included the French counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine, Gascony, Anjou, Aquitane, and Normandy. Henry was technically a feudal vassal of the king of France but, in reality, owned more territory and was more powerful than his French lord. Although King John (Henry's son) lost most of the English holdings in France, English kings laid claim to the French throne until the fifteenth century. Henry also extended his territory in the British Isles in two significant ways. First, he retrieved Cumbria and Northumbria form Malcom IV of Scotland and settled the Anglo-Scot border in the North. Secondly, although his success with Welsh campaigns was limited, Henry invaded Ireland and secured a English presence on the island.

The period following the death of Henry I in 1135 and the rule of Henry II were some what chaotic in England, dominated by the struggle between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda, who was the daughter of Henry I and the mother of Henry II. Local nobility used the conflict to usurp power in many areas, an especial practice being that of castle building.

Sources:
The Encyclopedia Britannia: Medieval Sourcebook.

The below copied word for word from page 7, Book 1, of the Dalton Book by Mrs. Leaning:
“Although Flower’s pedigree begins with a Sir Rychard, a roughly made MS. Pedigree, coming into my hands long after this book was begun, shows apparent four generations preceding him. The first is “Le Sieur de Dalton “who came with King Henry II, 1153, whose son was Dalton of Byspham, who had a son John Dalton, father of Sir Richard, a Crusader in 1187 who killed a Saracen in the Holy Land and from that the family takes a green griffin in its crest, buried at Dalton. This is interesting, but without assigned evidence or source must be regarded as legendary”

So the way I see it is that we descendants of the first Dalton must have a starting place to begin. Here is my interruption of the history of the descendants of this first Dalton.

We believe the first of our Dalton line is a Le Sieur de Dalton from what we think is the ancestral home of our Dalton family in Hauteville-Sur-Mer, Normandy, France.

The article below was copied from the Dalton Genealogical Society Journal:
Source: HAUTEVILLE-THE ANCESTRAL TOWN OF THE DALTONS, By Miss P.N. Simpson

The DGSJ, Vol. 3, 1972.

During the summer of 1971, Philippa Simpson visited France with her family for a holiday and had the opportunity of investigating the town of Hauteville in Normandy, from where it is thought that Le Sieur de Dalton came. This is her report.

“There is very little information available about the early Dalton's. This means that what follows is based more on clues than on facts, in conjunction with a visit to two places in Normandy with the name of Hauteville. However, in spite of the lack of any very positive conclusions, I hope that it will be of interest to readers and possibly provoke further comments of investigations on the subject.

Le Sieur de Dalton, who was probably the great grandfather of Sir Rychard Dalton of Byspham and came over to England from Normandy with King Henry II in 1153. I am unable to ascertain whereabouts he decided to settle, but his son was said to have been possessed of the Manors of Dalton and Byspham in Lancashire; so he might have decided to settle in one of these places. I think that the Manor of Dalton is around the village of Dalton in the South part of the County of Westmoreland. Several places around there have the name of Dalton, such as Dalton Crags, Dalton Hall and Dalton Park Woods.

Le Sieur de Dalton was said to have come from a area called Hauteville in Normandy. I do not know if he was an important person in Hauteville for Sieur is merely the French word for Mister. It is interesting to note that the Kings of Jerusalem were said to have been of the House of Hauteville so the Dalton’s could have married into their family.

Both of the Hautervilles, which I visited, were on the Cherbourg peninsular. Hauteville sur la Mer was on the West Coast and the other Hauteville was approximately in the centre.

Nearby there is a ruined castle which I am sure was standing in the 12th Century. Perhaps the Dalton’s, if they were near neighbors, went visiting there or possibly they even married into the family that lived there.

The other Hauteville is also old, but it is impossible to tell whether it was there in the 12th Century. Unlike Hauteville sur la Mer it is difficult to reach. We got lost on many tiny country roads trying to find it.

Comparing the Hautevilles to places like Thurnham and Cockersand Abbey which I have also visited, I would like to think that our ancestors came from Hauteville sur la Mer. Both Hauteville sur la Mer and Thurnham are about a mile or two inland from the sea. Both are fairly accessible and they are both built on flat ground. The other Hauteville is quieter and more remote.

The largest mystery which remains for me is why Le Sieur de Dalton decided to come to England as I think that Normandy has more to offer than Lancashire, both in scenery and climate.

Sir Rychard Dalton, or de Dalton is supposedly the first Dalton that is at the head of the Flower's Visitation Pedigree which is generally taken as the starting point of the Dalton family history (see chart on page 7 of Volume 1 of the D. G. S. Journal). However there appear several variations in the details of this early part of the pedigree and different sources of information indicate differing numbers of generations between Le Sieur de Dalton and Sir Rychard of Byspham. One thing is reasonably certain though and that is that we are descended from a Dalton who accompanied King Henry II across the English Channel in 1154.

It is interesting to recall the circumstances of this channel crossing. Settling on the English throne at the time was Stephen, an unpopular king who had banished Matilda, daughter of Henry I and mother of Henry II, from the land. Henry, ruler of Normandy, Anjou and Maine, Guienne and Poitou, had decided to invade England.

An expedition to England undertaken by Henry in 1153 resulted in signing the treaty of Winchester (6 Nov 1153). Stephen retained the kingship for his lifetime and Henry was acknowledged as heir to Stephen by a charter issued at Westminster on 25 Dec 1153.

The outcome was a compromise with the agreement that Stephen should rule England until his death whereupon Henry would succeed to the crown. In the event, Stephen died the following year and so Henry began his reign as the first of the House of Plantagenet in 1154.

One wonders exactly what role Le Sieur de Dalton might have played in all this. One can only conjecture, but he presumably fought for Henry and perhaps he, along with many others, was granted lands in Lancashire as a reward for his part in successfully putting Henry on the throne. It seems a fitting start to our family history but unfortunately it can never be more than a speculation.”

Source: Philippa Simpson -1971.

So as we read in the about the story by Philippa, I also believe that Le Sieur de Dalton did come into England about December of 1154 from Normandy in the service of the Henry, future King of England. Was Le Sieur de Dalton in service to the King, or a soldier who fought along side him? Whatever his position was, some how he obtained lands in Lancashire, probably because of his service to King Henry. Did Le Sieur de Dalton give his name to the land or manor he lived in, or did his name come from the area he settled on? We will never know for sure, but we do know that he was the start of our great line of Dalton’s as far as can be traced.

Dalton Township, Lancashire, England:

Source:
Victoria County History Publication: A History of the County of Lancashire: Volume 4.

DALTON MANOR, DALTON

Daltone, Dom. Bk.; Dalton, 1212.

Dalton occupies hilly ground south of the River Douglas. The highest point is Ashhurst Beacon, known locally as the 'Beetle,' 569 ft. above sea level. From it the land slopes away gradually on every side. The district is extensively cultivated, fields of corn, potatoes, and other root-crops alternating with pastures. Plantations of trees appear more especially on the north-east under the lee of the hill and away from the assault of westerly sea winds. A few insignificant brooks find their way towards the Douglas, which forms the northern boundary of the township and divides the Hundred of West Derby from that of Leyland. The view from the top of the hill near the Beacon is an extensive one, affording a fine panorama of the surrounding country. The preponderance of holly trees and hedges on the sheltered side of the district is a noticeable feature. There are many picturesque stone-built houses in the neighborhood. The soil appears to be loam and clay, over solid sandstone rock. The area is 2,103½ acres. The population in 1901 was 422.

The road from Upholland to Newburgh crosses the township in a north-west direction, ascending and descending; Ashhurst Hall and the church lie on the western slope of the ridge; to the north are Hawksclough and Dalton Lees, and to the south lies Elmer's Green. Prior's Wood is in the north, and Cassicarr Wood on the eastern boundary.

There is a colliery. The township is governed by a parish council.

Ashhurst Beacon was erected a century ago, when a French invasion was regarded as imminent. Watchers were stationed day and night to be ready to light the beacon fire, and thus give notice of the enemy's landing.

DALTON MANOR:
At the death of Edward the Confessor, DALTON was held by Uctred as one plough-land; its value was the normal 32d. On the formation of the Manchester fee Dalton was included in it, and probably about 1150 Albert Grelley the elder enfeoffed Orm son of Ailward, of Kirkby Ireleth, of a knight's fee in Dalton, Parbold, and Wrightington, in marriage with his daughter Emma. The heirs of Orm held it in 1212. Dalton was reputed part of the Manchester fee down to the 17th century.

The descent of the mesne lordship it is not possible to trace clearly. The descendants of Orm were the Kirkbys of Kirkby Ireleth, who long retained an interest in part of the fee of Dalton, Parbold, and Wrightington. Dalton and Parbold as half a knight's fee seem very early to have been granted to the Lathom family, and Parbold and part at least of Dalton were in turn granted to younger sons. In the 13th century Dalton was held by Richard de Orrell, Richard le Waleys of Aughton, and Henry de Torbock, but how their interests had arisen there is nothing to show, though the Torbocks no doubt held their quarter of the manor by a grant from the Lathoms.

The Orrell portion, called a fourth part of the manor, was like Orrell itself acquired by the Holland family, (and descended in the same way to the Lovels, and, on forfeiture, to the Earls of Derby. The latter sold it about 1600 to the Orrells of Turton, who soon afterwards sold all their rights to the Ashhursts.

The Dalton family, who took their name from this township, but who are better known as lords of Bispham in Leyland and afterwards of Thurnham, probably held under the Hollands and their successors.

The Waleys portion was divided, half being given to a younger branch of the family. Richard le Waleys had a brother Randle, whose son Richerit was a benefactor of Cockersand Abbey. Adam the son of Richerit sold his quarter share to Robert, lord of Lathom, who granted it to the priory of Burscough.

The priory continued to hold this quarter of the manor to the Suppression, after which its fate has not been ascertained; but all or most was probably acquired by the Earls of Derby, and remained with this family till the sale of Lady Ashburnham's estates.

The fourth part retained by the Waleys family descended like Uplitherland to the Bradshaghs, (and was sold in 1546 to Matthew Clifton, and then apparently to the Ashhursts, who before that seem to have been the tenants under Waleys and Bradshagh.

The remaining quarter, that of the Torbocks, descended for some time with the principal manor of Tarbock; but this portion of Dalton became, like Turton, the share of the Orrell family. The estate was often called the manor of Walton Lees. A family named Lascelles, of long continuance in this township and Upholland, appear to have been the immediate holders.

In 1598 William Orrell of Turton was called lord of 'three-fourths' of the manor, holding his hereditary share and that of the Holland family; and William Ashhurst lord of 'one-fourth,' i.e. probably the Waleys share. (fn. 21) The Burscough quarter does not seem to be accounted for. Shortly afterwards, as stated above, the Ashhursts acquired the Orrells' lands and rights, and became sole lords of the manor. In 1751 they sold it to Sir Thomas Bootle, and it has since descended with Lathom, the Earl of Lathom being lord of the manor.

In the absence of records it is not possible to give a satisfactory account of the Ashhurst family. The earliest known is Simon de Ashhurst, who about the end of the reign of Henry III granted to his son Robert all his land in Dalton, and to his son John all his land in Ashhurst. ( Robert son of Simon next occurs; and in 1300 Richard son of Robert de Ashhurst made a release of lands in Pemberton. This Richard acquired lands about the same time from Henry the Miller of Skelmersdale, whose daughter Alice afterwards released her right in the same. Richard's son Adam was the most distinguished member of the family until the Commonwealth period. He fought in the French wars under Edward III and was knighted, receiving also a grant of lands in Essex and Hertfordshire. He was succeeded by his son John, who married Margery, daughter of Henry de Orrell, and had a son Roger. This Roger about 1385 married Maud, daughter of Henry de Ince, leaving a son Robert, whose son John de Ashhurst about 1437 married a daughter of Roger de Dalton. From this date there is an absence of documentary evidence until the middle of the 16th century, about which time, as already stated, William Ashhurst acquired, probably from the Bradshaghs of Aughton, a quarter of the manor, and afterwards acquired the remainder from William Orrell.

This William Ashhurst was in 1590 reported to be 'soundly affected in religion'; and the family continued Protestant, adopting Puritan and Presbyterian tenets. William Ashhurst died in 1618, and was succeeded by his son Henry, who married Cassandra Bradshaw, and had several children, including Henry, the draper and alderman of London, a wealthy man and a consistent Puritan. The eldest son William was a member of the Long Parliament, and also of Cromwell's Parliament of 1654. He died in January 1656–7, and was succeeded by his eldest son and heir Thomas, who recorded a pedigree in 1664. John Ashhurst, the brother of William and Henry, took an active part in the Civil War on the Parliamentary side, having a commission as captain and major. He engaged in the second siege of Lathom, and was present at the surrender in December 1645; he was subsequently governor of Liverpool.

Thomas Ashhurst, aged twenty-five in 1664 was succeeded in 1700 by his son Thomas Henry, who made a settlement of the manor of Dalton in 1706, and about thirty years later succeeded also to the manor of Waterstock in Oxfordshire, which had been bought by the above-named Alderman Henry Ashhurst. In 1751 the manors of Dalton, Upholland, and Skelmersdale, with various lands, were sold to Sir Thomas Bootle by Henry Ashhurst, son of Thomas Henry, and apparently an elder brother of Sir William Henry Ashhurst, the judge.

Families named Arrowsmith, Prescott, and Holland also held lands in Dalton. In 1600 William Ashhurst and William Moss were the only freeholders recorded.

About 1400, 2 acres of land in Dalton, granted without royal license for the repair of Douglas Bridge, were confiscated, but restored.

For the adherents of the Established Church John Prescott of the Grange, owner of the great tithes of the township, turned the tithe barn into a place of worship; a district was assigned to it in 1870, and it was consecrated in 1872; but five years later the present church of St. Michael and All Angels was built on an adjoining site, and the old one destroyed. The patronage is in the hands of Mrs. Prescott.

Footnotes:
Robert de Dalton is mentioned as early as 1293; Inq. and Extents, 276. In 1305 Robert de Dalton was claiming common of pasture from Ellen, widow of Henry de Lathom, and from the Prior of Burscough; De Banco R. 154, m. 252 d.; 156, m. 119. There was another family bearing the local name, who held of the Torbocks; thus Gilbert son of Alan de Dalton speaks of 'my lord, Henry de Torbock'; Kuerden MSS. iii, T, 2, no. 15. Robert de Dalton allowed the Prior of Burscough to approve in the hey of Dalton; Burscough Reg., fol. 34b.

The most conspicuous of the early members of the family was Sir John de Dalton, kt., whose exploit in carrying off Margery de la Beche in 1347 has been mentioned in the account of Upholland. Robert de Dalton, his father, was then living. Sir John died in 1369 holding 40 acres in Dalton of Roger La Warr, lord of Manchester, in socage, by the rent of 9d. yearly; Inq. p.m. 43 Edw. III, pt. i, no. 31. The service does not agree with the 6d. named in the rental previously quoted. Ellen, wife of Robert de Urswick, was executrix; For later descents see the accounts of Bispham in Leyland and Thurnham.

History of Kildalton College, Decies, Vol. Xxxii, summer 1986:

“Walter must have been in France to court Lewis’s daughter and he married her, if he did marry her, well after 1066. There is a tradition that he went from England to France as an emissary of King Stephen to arrange Henry II return to England on Stephen’s death”.

A little Norman History:
If the legend of Le Sire de Dalton is true and he was from Normandy as his history tells us, then below is a little history of his people. It may be true that he had Viking ancestry!

The Norman’s were primarily of Viking origin, descended from Duke Rollo and his Viking pirates. Duke Rollo was at one time Jarl or Earl of Orkney and after being kicked out of northern Norway by the King, landed in northern France and claimed a chunk.

The Norman’s of mainland France cast their beady eyes on the English island paradise so full of promise, an island base often envied and sullied by the Vikings. The islands to the north of England were devastated by the invading ripples of Danish and Norwegian Vikings who now held much of the land -- the Orkneys, Hebrides and the Isle of Man. Weak Saxon Kings found it more convenient to pay bounties and to demand hostages from the Viking marauders, buying short lived peace for the islands.

King Cnut had Denmark and Norway to look after, and the Swedes were pounding on his back door. He was smart and left government in England to the Saxon Witan -- the ruling body suitably seeded with Danish Earls from the north. He milked the Saxons with kindness, and left them and the Witan, to their own devices, but very poor. Not wanting a direct confrontation with Cnut, a fellow Viking, the Normans bided their time, and infiltrated with friendly implants. They set the table for the Norman invasion of England.

Unlike the previous Viking bounty hungry marauders who flitted around the oceans with fleets of up to one hundred ships, stinging here, ravaging there, wintering, gathering treasures which would help them gain power in their home domains, the Normans had achieved a new territory and converted the Vikings who had firmly planted their roots in northern France. They became skilled military commanders who did not confine themselves to naval warfare and allied strategies, although these basic skills never left them. They developed a hierarchical network of top down intermarriage, betrothals and cross-pollination that always seemed to work to their advantage.

When King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland finally declared himself to be Duke William the Conqueror's man in 1072 (after the Duke had ravaged as far north as the Forth) the Norman Empire would stretch from the Orkneys to the tip of Sicily and later to Greece and Jerusalem. By 1072 they'd also beaten up the Frisians, the Germans (Emperor Otto of Germany was a nephew of the Norman King John in 1215) and even their friends and kin the Flemings. 1172 saw the same Norman conquest and ownership of Ireland when Strongbow, the Earl of Pemroke engineered the occupation of Leinster for Henry II. The seeding of lowland Scotland followed the same pre-Conquest Norman pattern.

Source: History copied from the internet. (It’s also in most Norman History books)

A connection between the de Lacy Families and our Dalton Family?

Both Walter de Laci and Ilbert de Laci came from Normandy with William the Conqueror In 1066.

WALTER AND ILBERT DE LACY

The Conqueror and His Companions

by J.R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874.

Lacie, now called Lassy, the place from which this great Norman family derived its name, is on the road from Vere to Auvray. Of its earlier lords we know nothing, and Wace's "Cil de Lacie" and "Le Chevalier de Lacie," do not enlighten us. Neither do we receive much assistance from his French or English annotators, who refer us to Dugdale and the English genealogists.

From them we learn that a Walter and an Ilbert de Lacy were certainly present at Senlac, though how related to each other they have no evidence, nor can we venture to suggest which was the "Sire de Lacie" of the poet, and which "the Chevalier," if we are to consider them two distinct personages. That they were brothers, however, is fairly presumable, from the fact that the mother of Ilbert de Lacy, Emma, is named in a charter, and Walter had a daughter Emma, named according to custom after her grandmother. No particular deed of arms is attributed to either; but the Sire de Lacie is named as one of a party of seven or eight knights who charged the English in company, "fearing neither prince nor pope. Many a man did they overthrow, many did they wound, and many a good horse did they kill." As early as the third year of William's reign, 1069, Walter de Lacy was sent into Wales with William Fitz Osbern and other tried soldiers, against the people of Brecknock, led by their Prince of Wales, Rhys ap Owen, Cadogan ap Blethyn, and Meredith ap Owen, whom they attacked and defeated with great slaughter.

Subsequently he assisted Wulstan, Bishop of Worcester, and Urso d'Abitot, then sheriff of that county, in preventing the passing of the Severn by the Earls of Hereford and Norfolk, with the object of effecting a junction of their forces.

His death, however, was not on the field of battle, nor was he shorn a monk in some abbey according to a prevalent custom of the period.

Having founded the Church of St. Peter at Hereford, and taking much interest in the building, when the work was nearly finished, he mounted a ladder to inspect some portion of it, when his foot slipping, he fell and was killed on the spot (6 kalends of April, 1084).

He was buried in the chapter house of the Cathedral at Gloucester, to which Emmeline, his wife, for the health of his soul, gave five hides of land at Duntesborne.

By this lady, whoever she was, he left three sons, Roger, Hugh and Walter, the last a monk in the Abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester; and two daughters, Ermeline and Emma.

Dying before the compilation of Domesday, we cannot be certain what was his reward in lands and honours for the services he had rendered his sovereign; but in that precious record we find his son and successor, Roger, in possession of ninety-six lordships, sixty-five of which were in Gloucestershire, besides four carucates of land lying within the limits of the Castle of Civia, which King William had bestowed on his father. Conspiring, however, against William Rufus, first with Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and afterwards witli Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumberland, he was banished the realm and all his lands given to his brother Hugh, the founder of Llanthony Priory, who, dying without issue, left his great inheritance between his two sisters above named. Ermeline had no children; but Emma, [An Emma de Lacie, probably the aunt of this Emma, took the veil in the Convent of St. Amand de Rouen before 1069.] by a husband unnamed, had issue, a son, Gilbert, who assumed the name of Lacy and became the ancestor of the great lord of Ulster and conqueror of the largest part of Ireland.

ILBERT DE LACY
The other companion of the Conqueror received for his services at Senlac, the castle and town of Pontefract and all that part of the county of Lancaster then as now called Blackburnshire, with other lands of vast extent, so that at the time of the general survey he possessed one hundred and seventy lordships, the greater portion of them in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, and obtained from King William Rufus a confirmation of all those customs belonging to his Castle at Pontefract, which he had enjoyed in the time of King William his father.

By his wife, a lady named Hawise, he left two sons, Robert and Hugh, the former of whom completed the building of the Abbey of St. Oswald at Nostell, the foundation of which was commenced by his father, and amply endowed it.

This true line of Lacy terminated with the grandson of the above Robert, and the Constables of Chester and the Earls of Lincoln, who assumed the name, inherited the lands and honours, but not a drop of the Lacy blood, as it would be inferred from the polite peerages in which the reader would naturally look for information. As frequently we find it to be the case, they need not the flattering unction applied to them, being descended from equally ancient and valiant progenitors, the families of the De Lizures and the Fitz Nigels, barons of Halton, united in the persons of Richard Fitz Eustace, Constable of Chester, in right of his mother Agnes, the first wife of Henry de Lacy, by her former husband, Eustace Fitz John, and of Albreda, daughter of Robert de Lizures, by the second wife and widow of the said Henry.

Ilbert was given the task by "William the Bastard" of quelling the Anglian insurrection in the district during "The Harrying of the North". At this time English nobles were disposessed of their lands and titles, de Laci, Warrene, Marmions [Stansfield] and others were given the spoils.

Pontefract Castle -"The key to the North" originally called Kirkby by the Danish invaders but later the town had a name change under the Normans to Pomfret or "Broken Bridge". From Pontefract was administered the vast Duchy of Lancaster.

The Pontefract lands held by the de Lacis were purposely interwoven with the lands granted to the Warrenes of Wakefield Manor by William I. Both de Laci and Warrene were present at the Battle of Hastings and were consequently rewarded with such estates, the latter family having their main seat at Lewes in Sussex.

Townships [villages] held in the district by Ilbert de Laci [d. 1089] were Penistone, Thurlstone, Denby, Scissett, Skelmanthorpe, Clayton, Cawthorne, Silkstone, Chevet, Crofton, Snydale, Whitwood, Heath, Altofts, Newlands, Carlton, Methley, East Ardsley, Lofthouse, Middleton, Morley, Batley, Southowram, Elland, Greetland, Heckmondwike, Mirfield, Nether Midgley, Over Midgley, Middleton, Thornhill [manor built in 1236], Kirkheaton, Highburton [Birton], Deighton, Fixby, Bradley, Huddersfield, Almondbury.

ROBERT DE LACI, 1089-1121, who was certainly lord of Blackburnshire, though it is now impossible to discover by what means he became possessed of it. [2] As, however, the Hundred of Blackburn at the time of Domesday constituted a part of those vast possessions which the Conqueror granted to Roger de Busli and Albert de Greslet, the probability is that Lacy acquired this free from them, and held it under them. This opinion is strengthened by a charter of Henry I granting Boeland to this Robert, son of Ilbert, to be held of the Crown in capite, as it had heretofore been of Roger de Poitou.

Hugh de Laval 1121-1131

William Maltravers 1131-1136

Ilbert de Lacy (2nd) 1136-1141

William de Romare, Earl of Lincoln 1141-1146

Henry de Lacy 1146-1187

Robert de Lacy 1187-1193

Roger (Fitz-Eustace) "Helle" de Lacy 1193-1211

John de Lacy 1211-1240

Lords of the Honor of Clitheroe the DeLacys:
Ilbert was given the task by "William the Bastard" of quelling the Anglian insurrection in the district during "The Harrying of the North". At this time English nobles were disposessed of their lands and titles, de Laci, Warrene, Marmions [Stansfield] and others were given the spoils.

ROBERT DE LACI, 1089-1121, who was certainly lord of Blackburnshire, though it is now impossible to discover by what means he became possessed of it. As, however, the Hundred of Blackburn at the time of Domesday constituted a part of those vast possessions which the Conqueror granted to Roger de Busli and Albert de Greslet, the probability is that Lacy acquired this free from them, and held it under them. This opinion is strengthened by a charter of Henry I granting Boeland to this Robert, son of Ilbert, to be held of the Crown in capite, as it had heretofore been of Roger de Poitou.

Sire de Lacy of Ireland:
As descendants of the great Walter de Lacy of the Conguest of England, Gilbert de Lacy (d:1150) in tradition named a son, Hugh de Lacy. Hugh became the first Viceroy of Ireland, Governor of Ireland and the Lord Palantine of Meath.

Hugh was one of the conquerors of Ireland during the Norman conquest of Ireland. In 1172, he was chartered by the King of England to receive the submission of the Irish High King, Rory O'Connor.

In March of that same year, King Henry granted to Hugh the service of 50 knights and placed in charge of Dublin Castle. In addition he was granted the whole of the ancient Meath Province (the de Lacy Kingdom of Meath), totaling 900,000 acres, which included what is know as Meath and WestMeath, plus portions of other surrounding counties. In total then his possessions included Westmeath, Castlenock, Carlow, Longford, Offaly, Offelana, Kildare and Wicklow. Within this territory, he built many castles including: Castle of Screen, Navan, Trim Castle, Kileen Castle, Durrow and Castle of Leighlin in Carlow.

Hugh angered King Henry II by his marriage to Rose O'Connor, the daughter of the last of the native Kings of all Ireland. But, because of his liberal and just conduct he won the hearts of the Irish, making it his first care to preserve the native Irish in the possession of their lands. The suspicions by Henry though that Hugh had intentions of creating a separate Kingdom of Ireland independent of English jurisdiction and to be ruled solely by the de Lacy family, are evident by the Kings pleasure of Hugh's death in 1186 as reported by William of Newburg.

The following is a copy of the Royal grant made to Hugh de Lacy by King Henry II:
"Henry by the grace of God King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitain, and the Earl of Anjoy, to the Archbishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justices, and all his ministers and faithful subjects, French, English, Irish, of all his Dominions, greeting: Know ye that I have given and granted and by this my charter confirmed unto Hugh de Lacy, in consideration of his services, the land of Meath with its appurtenances, to have and to hold of me my heirs, to him and his heirs by the service of fifty knights, in as full and ample a manner as Muirchard Hu-Melaghlin held it or any other person before or after him: and as an addition I give all the fees that he owes or shall owe me above Dublin while he is my baliff, to do me servcies in my city of Dublin. Wherefore I will strickly command that the said Hugh and hisheirs shall enjoy the said land and shall hold all the liberties and free customs which I have or may have therein by the aforesaid service from me and my heirs, well and peacefully, freely, quitely, and honourably, in wood and plain, in meadow and pasture, in water and mills, in warren and ponds, in fishing and hunting, in ways and paths, in seaports and all other places appertaining to the said land, with all liberties which I have therein or can grant or confirm to him by this my charter."

SIRE DE LACY WAS OF FRENCH DESCENT AND SO MOST OF HIS BARONS
Here is a list :

Tyrrell, Baron of Castleknock

Nangle, Baron of Navan

De Musset, Baron of Lune

Phepoe, Baron of Scryne

FitzThomas, Baron of Kells

Hussey, Baron of Galtrim

Fleming, Baron of Slane

Dullard, or Dollard, of Dullenvarty

Nugent, Baron of Delvin

Earl of Westmeath

Tuite, Baron of Moyashell;

Robert De Lacy's descendants, Barons of Rathwire;

De Constantine, Baron of Kilbixey;

Petit, Baron of Mullingar;

FitzHenry of Magherneran, Rathkenin, and Ardnorcher. To some of these there succeeded

The De Genevilles, Lords of Meath;

Mortimer, Earl of Marche;

the Plunkets, of Danish descent, Earls of Fingall,

Barons of Dunsany, and Earls of Louth;

the Prestons, Viscounts Gormanstown and Tara;

the Barnewalls, Barons of Trimbleston and Viscounts Kingsland

the Nettervilles, Barons of Dowth;

the Bellews, Barons of Duleck;

the Dareys of Platten, Barons of Navan;

The Cusacks, Barons of Culmullen;

and the FitzEustaces, Barons of Portlester.

Some of these again were succeeded by ...

the De Baths of Athearn,

the Dowdalls of Athlumny,

the Cruises,

the Drakes of Drake

Rath, and numerous others.

Lets hope that our le Sire de Dalton is found listed in “numerous others”

It is reported that our le Sire de Dalton may have served under the de Lacy family.

Notice that the de Lacy Coat of Arms and our Dalton Coat of Arms has the same Lion or a silver Lion Rampant Guardant on an azure shield with gold crosslets. In the Heraldic language it is: a shield azure propre, or crussely, a lion, rampant, guardant, argant and the crest is a dragon's head vert, between two wings.

Also look at the list of Barons that served under Sire de Lacy, was our Le Sire de Dalton, a Knight serving under one of the names?

Go to:

http://www.aboutlancs.com/delacys.htm

http://www.gengateway.com/genealogy/lacysite.htm

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/history/norman_invasion.html

Though this name is not Irish in origin it is on record in Dublin and Co. Meath as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century, the family having been established in Ireland following the Anglo-Norman invasion. Its Norman origin is more apparent in the alternative spelling, still sometimes used, viz D'Alton I.e. of Alton, a place in England. According to family tradition the first Dalton to come to Ireland was one Walter, who had fled to England from France, having incurred the wrath of the French king by secretly marrying his daughter. The early settlers became powerful, having acquired lands in Teffia, Co. Meath, under Henry II. There and in Co. Westmeath (part of which subsequently became known as Dalton's Country) they erected castles and founded religious houses. In the fourteenth century they spread into Counties Tipperary and Cork, but it was not until the middle of the seventeenth century that a branch of the family went to Clare, with which county they were afterwards closely identified. The head of the family was known as Lord of Rathconrath (Co. Westmeath); but as territorial magnates they were broken by the Cromwellian and Williamite devastations, having in the course of time completely identified themselves with the native Irish. The humbler families of the name, however, remained in Westmeath and their descendants are there today.

I have read somewhere that the Irish Dalton coat of arms was copied after the de Lacy Coat of arms because Sir Walter De Aliton (Dalton) was a Knight under de Lacy.

The Dalton's of Lancashire:
A lecture/talk given by Dr. Lucy Joan Slater, former Editor and Secretary, Dalton Genealogical Society, Cambridge, England.

“In 1086 in the Doomsday Book there are three places called Dalton. Dalton near Wigan. Dalton-in-Furness and Dalton near Kirkby Stephen. The name Dalton only occurs as a place name, not as a surname. It simply means "of the hill village." The earliest Dalton we hear of as a named man is Michael of Dalton, the Abbot of Furness Abbey in 1136.

There is a tradition that there was a man known as Le Sieur de Dalton, who was the head of the village of Dalton. He had two sons, one known as Dalton of Byspham and a second son, Symon, and a grandson, John Dalton, who was still alive in 1193. Also Le Sieur went with the Earl of Manchester, on behalf of King Stephen to treat with Henry II in France for his return to England in 1154. This man may have been called Walter and there is a tradition that when he had finished his business in France, he got the King of France's daughter into trouble and had to do a quick exit to Ireland. There he settled and founded the Irish Dalton's, who call themselves Daliton or Daton.

The Flower's Visitation of Yorkshire in 1563-4 gives the main pedigree of the Dalton family. It started with Sir Rychard of Byspham born about 1230 and holding the manors of Byspham in Lancashire and Kirkby Misperton in Yorkshire. He had two sons, Sir Robert and Sir John. Sir John held the manor of Kirkby in 1332 and founded the Yorkshire line of Dalton's. Sir Robert was born in 1284 and died in 1350. About 1320, he married Mary, the daughter of Sir Thomas Lathom and she bore him a son, Sir John Dalton. Sir Robert had sided with the Earl of Lancaster who was beheaded in 1322 and Sir Robert was confined to Pontifract Castle for a time. However, his friends raised a ransom for him, so he was released and allowed to go back to his home at Byspham Manor. In 1327, when Edward II came to the throne, the fine was returned to Sir Robert and he was made Keeper of the Royal Forests and then the Constable of the Tower of London.

In the spring of 1346, King Edward prepared to invade France. He assembled the greatest army seen in England up to that date. With the King were his son Richard, the Black Prince, 12 Earls, over 1000 Knights, 4000 esquires, 20,000 archers and an unnumbered host of yeomen, blacksmiths, messengers, masons, cooks, minstrels and other camp followers. So we can imagine Sir Robert riding from his home in Byspham, clad in his best armour, wearing his plumed helm and carrying his great broad sword, his lance and with his shield in azure blue with the silver lion on his chest. He would be riding his great war horse which would be clad in armour. By his side was his son, Sir John, also in his best armour and behind them an esquire carrying a banner with the full coat of arms embroidered on it, complete with the green Griffen. They were also accompanied by a priest who bore a portable altar and some new winding sheets, just in case things did not go too well. [Winding sheets were burial sheets or palls.] The party rode down through Lancashire gathering more men of arms at every town and joined the Earl of Manchester. Then they brought the French to face them at Crecy, one of the most historical battles of all time. The English had the new technology of the day, bows and arrows, and of course easily won the battle.”

Note: There is an on going search for evidence that this “Le Sieur de Dalton” of Lancashire and the” Walter D’Aliton” of Ireland are the same man. (Read about the Irish branch of Dalton’s in Chapter two.)

The ancient Saxon/English Dalton name, means “Dale-Tun” described as a “farm settlement in the little valley or town in the dale”.

The Dalton name is or has been spelled in various ways over the years; D’Alton, de Dalton, Dolton, Dolten, Daulton, Daletonne, Dallton, de D’Aliton and Dealiton.

The place name of Dalton, from which our family derives from, occurs frequently in the six northern counties of England and in southern Scotland. Since there are many places called Dalton, there may have been as many people or families not related to each other, and yet bearing the same description, “of Dalton”. Although they all could be of the same descendants of the first Le Sieur de Dalton!

There is in fact an immense variety of men and women with the “Dalton” surname, from highly placed ecclesiastics, scholars, scientists, titled and landed gentry, soldiers, merchants and lawyers, right down to the highway men in Great Britain, to that gang of ruffians in the USA, “The Dalton Gang” In Missouri, to the Mormon Dalton’s in Utah and in the Western USA.

There are several Dalton pedigrees to serve us as a guide to our Dalton family history. There is in particular one of great extent, which arises in Yorkshire and another one in Lancashire. Both of these families have a very similar Coat of Arms, but the Lancashire branch is on record as the earlier of the two. The earliest description of the “Dalton Coat of Arms” is as follows:

In the ranks of the Knights of King Edward 1: “Sir Robert de Dalton, Knight, dazur ove i dargent pouree de croiseletz dor” which is in Latin. It is a Lion rampant, and the date is 1322. This Sir Robert bore this “Coat of Arms” at the battle of Boroughbridge and at the siege of Calais.

This means that on a ground of azure, powdered with gold crossiets, is a silver "lypard", or as it is put in all the later descriptions, a Lion rampant, and the date is 1322. This Sir Robert was the founder of the Lancashire family, but in Foster's great book of pedigrees of Yorkshire family, the Arms are the same with the addition of "a chief barry nebulae, arg. and sa." - that is, across the top of the shield are three wavy lines in black and silver. These Arms are of the next century; but it seems very unlikely that two families of the same name should have had Arms so much alike and yet have been unrelated to each other.

The Dalton Crest used by the Dalton Genealogical Societ

In a rare list of crests, collected by Thomas Wall in the reign of Henry VII, and printed in the “Ancestor”, ours is No. 17: "Dalton beryffi to his crest a green dragons hede vert langued geules”

This crest, of a green dragons head, but with open wings in gold, is the one which was used by John Dalton of Stanmore and Peckham, who died in 1851, and whose monument has this crest sculptured on it in the old disused churchyard of St. Giles, Camberwell. The above Crest is the one used by the DGS of England.

Crests are a survival of the old fighting times when a mans face was concealed and he wore on his helmet a sign by which he could be recognized in battle, and the shield was adorned for the same reason with some device which proclaimed his identity. Although anyone nowadays who can afford the fees can have "arms" devised for him by the College of Heralds, it is not the same thing as belonging to a family who can prove that they had knightly ancestors in the far past; and so I am putting down the references, in many places, which can be verified, as evidence of the family's existence.

Lets now talk about the early Knight’s of England of whom many of our early Dalton’s were. We think the first was Sir Richard Dalton, born about 1200 AD, the son of John de Dalton of Byspham, Lancashire.

The Great Knight’s of England:
The story of the Great Knights of England goes back to the time of the Plantagenet Kings. Under which everyone with a certain income was required to take up the status of a Knight. It was an indirect form of taxation. In this way the Crown had the full support of these Knights and all they’re many men and wealth.

These Knights were given a great amount of land and titles for they’re many services they provided to whichever King was in power. The title of Sir was one, which implied possessions as well as knighthood. And from the fact that from the beginning we find our "Dalton’s" owners of lands, holding good positions, forming good family alliances, and bearing fashionable Norman names, it looks more than likely that they were of Norman origin. They took their titles from Old Saxon manors or lordships.

History of Knights:

Like most periods in history, the era of knights evolved gradually. The term "knight" originates from the Anglo-Saxon name for a boy: "cniht". Indeed, most early knights were not much more than hired "boys" who offered military service and loyalty to whatever well-to-do nobleman or warlord that offered the most promise of money or war booty.

In the chaos and danger of post-Roman Western Europe, the population had very little protection from brigands and conquering warbands. It soon became apparent there was safety in numbers, and local lords (who could afford it) gathered around them young, fighting-age men to fend off rebellious vassals or conquering neighbors. These men, in turn, were rewarded with war booty for their service and loyalty. Soon, grants of land were made so the young soldiers could receive an income from those lands and afford the high cost of outfitting themselves with the accoutrements of war, such as horses, armor, and weapons. The era of the medieval knight had begun.

It wasn't long before knights began to treat their land grants as hereditary rights (usually transferring ownership to the eldest son upon death), and thus began the rise of knights as a "landed" class whose importance went beyond simply being a military "free-agent". Knights soon found themselves involved in local politics, the dispensation of justice, and numerous other required tasks for their sovereigns, or liege lord.

On becoming a Knight:
To become a knight, you had to go through three stages; page, squire, and knighting. When a boy turned 7, they would leave home and start their training for knighthood. As a page, he joined the household of another knight or a nobleman. There they would train him how to use and handle small weapons. They also taught him manors, and behaviors of a knight. Then at 15 or 16 they would advance to squire. In this position he would be a servant to the knight who had become his master. Training progressed and advanced to that of a mounted soldier. This would come in handy when he was called to assist his knight in battle. This would usually last around five years. Then the squire was eligible for knighthood. Any knight could bestow knighthood on another.

Taken to his lord and kneels, and a knight dubs the new knight by tapping him on the shoulder with his sword, then delivers the accolade by saying something like: "In the Almighty's name, I dub you a knight. Be worthy, valiant and humble". Led out of church, hailed with cheers and the new knight eats breakfast. Later in the day the new knight goes to the courtyard, where the others await him. Two loud trumpets, singers, priests and monks, Knight followed by all present to the grounds by the garden to a platform covered with carpets. Sponsor kisses knight, puts spurs on him. 2nd and 3rd sponsors put on his steel hauberk and helmet. 4th sponsor puts sword on the knight and says, "use it worthily". Moral instruction and encouragement offered and the new knight takes the oath of knighthood, declares his commitment to justice and faith. Music begins. Leaves platform, runs to horse and leaps onto its saddle. Crowd applauds; his squire brings his lance and shield. There is a jousting tournament in his honor the next day.

Feasts were held in his honor, with singing and music. His attire laid out for guests to see: Spotless white shirt, costly robe of ermine, golden spurs. Bathes and dresses: white shirt, brown silk hose, white outer-girdle and crimson robe. To chapel of parish church and prays all evening, stands or kneels for 10 hours. Lamp on altar, large candles beside alter. Weapons and armor on alter. Mass the next morning. Knight put on sword and spurs.

In medieval history, the knight was an armed and mounted warrior belonging to the nobility. The incessant private warfare that characterized medieval times brought about a permanent military class, and by the 10th century the institution of knighthood was well established. The knight was essentially a military officer, although with the growth of feudalism the term tended to denote the holder of not only a position in the ranks of nobility but also in the ranks of landholders. The knight generally held his lands by military tenure; thus knight service was a military service, normally expected by an overlord in exchange for each fief held by a knight. All military service was measured in terms of knight service, and a vassal might owe any number of knight services.

Although all nobles of military age were necessarily knights, knighthood was earned through some exploit involving the use of arms. In the late Middle Ages the son of a noble would serve first as page, then as squire, before being made a knight. Knighthood was conferred by the overlord with the accolade (a blow, usually with the flat of the sword, on the neck or shoulder); in the later period of feudalism, the ceremony was preceded by the religious ceremony of a vigil before an altar. A knight fighting under another's banner was called a knight bachelor; a knight fighting under his own banner was a knight banneret. Knights were ordinarily accompanied in battle by personal attendants (squires and pages) and by vassals.

Tournaments provided a means for knights to practice warfare and build their strength in times of peace. Tournaments were essentially mock battles with audiences. The audience was usually made up of "fair damsels". This was another way in which a knight was expected to act chivalrous. The tournaments had different rules that had to be followed. They were judged by umpires that watched for dishonest play. Tournaments were usually fought between either two people or two teams. If two people fought a tournament, it was usually by jousting. The two knights would gallop across the playing field at each other. They carried long, blunt poles and shields. The objective was to knock the other person out of his saddle. Team play was conducted with fierce mock combat between two bands of fighters. They fought with wooden or blunted weapons so as to reduce the risk of getting hurt. However, this was often not the case. Many people did get hurt or die by accident.

Life of a Knight:
The new knight now served his liege lord (which may or may not be the king himself), bound to offer military service up to 40 days a year in peace time, more, as needed, in war time. Military duties included castle guard, serving in the lord's "bodyguard", and participating in battle.

Apart from military duties the knight could also participate in administering justice, managing his estates (which was his prime source of income), and continuing to hone his combat skills in tournament.

Heraldry (symbols identifiable with individuals or families) originated as a way to identify knights in battle or in tournaments. With the advent of the "great" or "barrel" helm (ca. early 13th century) an individual's face became concealed. It therefore became necessary to create a method to distinguish ally from enemy.

Heraldic symbols were often worn on the knight's surcoat (thus the term "coat of arms"), shield, helmet, or on a banner (standard) that could serve as a rallying point for knights and others scattered in the chaos of battle. The standard was always to be elevated as long as the battle continued, and therefore was guarded well. A standard taken down would signal the allied combatants that the cause was lost and it was time to flee the field of combat.

The career of a knight was costly, requiring personal means in keeping with the station; for a knight had to defray his own expenses in an age when the sovereign had neither treasury nor war budget at his disposal. When land was the only kind of riches, each lord paramount who wished to raise an army divided his domain into military fiefs, the tenant being held to military service at his own personal expense for a fixed number of days (forty in France and in England during the Norman period). These fees, like other feudal grants, became hereditary, and thus developed a noble class, for whom the knightly profession was the only career. Knighthood, however, was not hereditary, though only the sons of a knight were eligible to its ranks. In boyhood they were sent to the court of some noble, where they were trained in the use of horses and weapons, and were taught lessons of courtesy. From the thirteenth century, the candidates, after they had attained the rank of squire, were allowed to take part in battles; but it was only when they had come of age, commonly twenty-one years, that they were admitted to the rank of knight by means of a peculiar ceremonial called "dubbing." Every knight was qualified to confer knighthood, provided the aspirant fulfilled the requisite conditions of birth, age, and training. Where the condition of birth was lacking in the aspirant, the sovereign alone could create a knight, as a part of his royal prerogative.

Knights associated in-groups, which they called orders. They vowed loyalty to the king they fought under and formed military organizations to defend his land and property against the enemies. The knights would go on crusades throughout the land to assure this freedom for the king. Any knight in those days who became a knight also had to take religious vows to live as monks as well as defending the king.

So as you have read in the above article about, our early Dalton's had the great fortune to be Knights and therefor-upper class gentry.

The Dalton pedigree was recorded by William Flower, Norroy, King-of-Arms, at the “Visitation of Yorkshire” in 1563-4. It was a survey of all people and lands in the County of Lancashire and is among the collected papers known as the Harleian Manuscripts.

The “Visitation of Yorkshire” gives genealogical information showing the Lancashire Dalton's and the Yorkshire Dalton's united by the common ancestor, and as there is confirming evidence about the earliest members, we can safely accept the pedigree as being more or less true.

In this chapter there is a complete pedigree of the Dalton Family in Lancashire County, starting with Le Sieur de Dalton, whose son was John Dalton of Byspham, which was at this time the name of the land on which the Dalton’s owned. John Dalton 1^st, whose son was also named John Dalton, and who was the father of Sir Rychard Dalton of Byspham, a crusader who killed a Saracen in the Holy Lands. From this act the Dalton family takes the Green Griffin in its Crest. Rychard is buried at Dalton Manor at Byspham.

The name of “Duchy of Lancashire” played a very large part in our Dalton family history through out the greater part of time in England and later on in South Wales.

The origins of Lancashire England:
Sources:
The following history of Lancashire was copied from numerous books that are on deposit at the Harold B. Lee Library on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

The name of Lancashire is said to be derived from the Saxon Lancasterscyre, after the county town. Antiquarians say that the name of the county town itself came from Alauna, Lancaster being situated upon the River Lan.

Lancashire, at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, held a very different profile. It extended from the northern shore of the River Mersey, north to the River Ribble. North of the Ribble was officially Yorkshire in the Domesday Survey. Lancashire was almost wholly the domain of Count Roger of Poitou, third son of the great Earl Roger de Montgomery II, the seignior of Montgomerii in the arrondisement of Lisieux in Normandy. Roger of Poitou (sometimes Pictavencis, Pictavis or, in the West Riding, known as Roger le Poitevin). Those extensive and rich holdings in the West Riding of Yorkshire were grants made by Duke William of Normandy in reward for his father's, Roger de Montgomery's assistance at the Battle of Hastings. Roger de Montgomery II was in command of a wing at the Battle of Hastings, but returned to Normandy with Queen Matilda, and the young Duke Robert as Duke William's representative. He became head of the council that governed the Duchy of Normandy in Duke William's absence in England. The Norman Montgomery family ancestry was closely interwoven either by blood or marriage with the Duchy of Normandy. Roger de Montgomery had four sons. Eldest was Robert, Count of Alencon, and his successor in Normandy. He was followed by Hugh, who inherited the Earldom of Arundel, Chichester and Shrewsbury, the life custodian of the main family domains granted in England. These would eventually go to Robert in 1098, purchased from William Rufus for 3000 pounds. Next youngest was Count Roger de Poitou who was made the first Earl of Lancaster by Duke William of Normandy, a less magnanimous grant which befitted the third youngest son. Philip, the youngest, remained in Normandy and accompanied Duke Robert on the first crusade to the Holy Land, and died there in 1094.

At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the County of Lancashire had not yet been defined, but its subsequent components already existed as administrative areas.

Six or seven years after the conquest (1072/3) King William gave the land between the Ribble and the Mersey, together with Amounderness to Roger of Poitou. In the early 1090s King William II (William Rufus) added Lonsdale, Cartmel and Furness to Roger's estates, thereby giving him control of all the land between the river Mersey in the south and the river Duddon in the north. Roger chose Lancaster as the site for his castle, which thereby became the centre of administration for the lands that he controlled. As the area of lands held by a lord were known as his 'honour', Roger's lands became known as the Honour of Roger of Poitou or the Honour of Lancaster.

In 1102 Roger supported his brother Robert of Bellene in an unsuccessful rebellion against King Henry I and all his English estates were confiscated and given to Stephen of Blois, the grandson of the Conqueror.

In 1168 Lancashire was first termed 'the county of Lancashire' under King Henry II.

In 1267 Edmund Crouchback was created 1st Earl of Lancaster.

In 1351 Henry, Earl of Lancaster, was made a Duke and was also granted Palatinate powers - the royal powers, or the powers belonging to the palace.

These powers lapsed with Henry's death, but were restored to the most famous Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt and were made hereditary.

Palatinate status was granted to Lancashire because of its strategic position in defending England from the Scots and conferred legal recognition of the extraordinary powers of the Duke within Lancashire. The county developed its own chancery, could issue writs under its own seal and even had its own dating year running from 6th March 1351, the date of the establishment of the palatine. The Duke was able to appoint his own sheriff who was answerable to the Duke, not the King. Lancaster had its own justices and the king's writ did not run within the palatine county. The king did however still collect the taxes and reserved the right to correct 'errors of judgement' in the duke's courts.

Lancashire was not a rich county. Coastal marsh was gradually replaced eastward by forest to the Penines. It was administered militarily by Hugh Lupus, the great Earl of Chester who also held most of the northern coast of Wales and both sides of the Dee, the Wirral and eastern Cheshire.

During the northern Norman Baron's rebellion in 1069/70, Duke William of Normandy and his army of 40,000 men reduced parts of Cheshire, most of Lancashire, and north to the Scottish border, and (Yorkshire in the East and West Ridings), Cumberland and Northumberland. The land was left waste, most buildings having been reduced to rubble. Remaining habitation was spotty and not well recorded in the Domesday Book, particularly in the northern counties. However, Roger de Poitou seems to have survived, probably because of his father's influence, although his holdings were considerably reduced by the time of the taking of the Domesday Survey in 1086. In 1081 he lost two important Lancashire lordships, Crosby and Warrington (now Cheshire) to the Norman Villers family, ancestors of the Traffords. He still retained as an under-tenant, however, and held in chief some 45 coastal holdings from West Derby north to the Ribble, generally known as the Argarmeles (located approximately in the Southport area). Most of the land north of the Ribble, north to Heysham, had been retrieved and was now held directly by the King. This land immediately north of the Ribble, including Preston, Ribchester and Lancaster, holdings classified as being in Yorkshire, was administered by Earl Tosti, under-tenant of the King but Roger de Poitou had some remaining influence. Little is known of Tosti. He may have been recruited from Normandy after the 1070 rebellion, but does not appear to be related to the notable Norman Tosni family. The population of Lancashire (south of the Ribble) at the Domesday Book was probably less than 2,000 and mostly confined to the coastal area within 20 miles of the Irish Sea except for Warrington, Salford, Rochdale and Manchester. North of the Ribble in the hundreds known as Amounderness there was over 60 holdings and was slightly more heavily populated. But 45 settlements were waste, many still held by Roger de Poitou. Cheshire, to the south, was comparatively heavily populated and rich in holdings.

It was not until 1182 that Lancashire became a county. Meanwhile, at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, Manchester was held by St.Mary's Church. Salford and Rochdale by Roger de Poitou. Present metropolitan boroughs of Manchester, Wigan, Bury, Oldham, Tameside, Trafford and Stockport were not identified. Manchester was also partly held by St.Michael's Church. Liverpool was not identified. Most of the coastal area north to the Ribble was also held by Roger de Poitou. He also held the following inland area’s: Blackburn, Dalton, Cockerham, Hurlston, Leyland, Penwortham, Newton le Willows, Rochdale, Skelmerdale, Up and Down Holland, and Preston. Habitation and settlements in central Lancashire were sparse unless they were deliberately ignored by the Domesday as having been wasted by Duke William in 1070 in his scorched earth sweep. Most of the rest of southern Lancashire was held directly or indirectly by the King, and almost all of northern Lancashire, including Heysham, Furness, Bardsea, Bispham, Marton (now Blackpool), Warton (Carnforth) and Lytham.

Place Names in our Dalton history in Lancashire:
On the west of Morecambe Bay is that projecting piece of land which was early chosen by the Cistercian monks on which to build "one of the most noble Abbeys in area and grandeur," is the famous Furness Abbey.

Furness Abbey was built in 1127, or begun then, and although like many another great abbeys it is now in ruins. Much more remains than in some. We can still walk through the splendid Norman doorway there and think of the Abbot MICHAEL de DALTON who walked through in 1136. I have not yet found an earlier occurrence of the name anywhere. It is given in a list of Abbots in the "coucher" or cartulary of the Abbey, drawn up by the order of another Abbot, WILLIAM de DALTON, in 1412. This noble great book beautifully written in old English characters, is preserved among the special treasures in the English Museum of the Public Record Office; the name of Dalton stands at the top of every page. Lastly, before the dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, there was again an Abbot JOHN DALTON at Furness from 1514 to 1516. I have not found any tie in with these three Abbots, but as the Dalton’s held land up and down the country and a rental fee of the Furness Abbey lands was paid to the Dalton’s, there is every probability that they belong to our pedigree.

In the year 1123 Stephen, Count of Boulogne and Morton and later King of England (1135-54), gave a parcel of land at Tulketh near Preston to the monks of Savigny in France. Four years later, Tulketh was abandoned and the monks moved to the remote site of Furness. In 1147, the Savignac Order was commanded to merge with the Cistercian Order and the Abbey of St. Mary came under the rule of the mother abbey in Citeaux. Under the Cistercian Order, the Abbey of St. Mary steadily expanded, increasing in wealth and prosperity.

In the early part of the fourteenth century, Furness experienced two great raids by the Scots. The latter in 1322 was led by Robert the Bruce. The Abbot offered accommodation and bribes to the Scots in return for immunity for Abbey lands and dependents. The Scots took the ransom money and the hospitality, but still sacked and pillaged the surrounding countryside and villages. One effect the raids had on the Furness area was the Building of Dalton and Piel Castles and the crenellation of a number of buildings such as the church at Great Urswick.

The Abbey possessed most of the Furness peninsula with its forests and rich agricultural lands; a total of 55,000 acres were under its rule. St. Mary’s was second only to Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. It’s situation, surrounded by Morecambe Bay and the Lakeland Mountains, meant that the Abbey remained isolated.

Furness Abbey

The development of the harbour at Piel Island did much to improve access and trade. Piel Castle, ruins of which can be seen, was built by the monks as a fortified warehouse for the storage of grain and wool. It was also used by the Order as a smuggling den in order to evade the high trade tariffs imposed by the King.

Furness Abbey had various holdings in Ireland and on the Isle of Man. On Man the Abbots were given the right to nominate their own bishops for their “daughter” house. “Daughter” houses were monasteries and convents set up as missionary bases, receiving help and guidance from “mother” house. Furness Abbey was a “daughter” house of Citeaux and in turn created it’s own “daughter” houses. The first was at Calder, Cumberland in 1135, and the second at Swineshead, Lincolnshire in 1148, then at Rushen on the Isle of Man and two Irish monasteries at Iniscoury and Abindon.

During the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) Conishead Priory was established by the Augustinians who were at times involved in disputes with Furness Abbey. The main dispute was over Ulverston and in 1230, the Canons of Conishead won the right to administer the village of Ulverston and Pennington while the Abbey was given Dalton and Urswick. The current Priory building is a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture and is open to the public.

In 1412, the first permanent record books of the Abbey were started. The Abbot, William Dalton, had all the charters and inventories written up to what is now known as the “Coucher Books”. These books are masterpieces of illumination and show what fine artists medieval scribes were. One of the scribes to work on the Coucher Books was Brother John Stell who included himself in one of the illuminated letters.

Source: Copied off the Internet.

Dalton-in-Furness:
Dalton-in-Furness is an old settlement mentioned in the Doomsday Book as Daltune. The original town was almost hidden in a narrow valley out of the convenient reach of the sea and ship-borne raiders and for a considerable time in history, Furness was the chief town and administrative centre for the district. Dalton Castle stands above the town built to defend the people of Dalton and the approaches to the Furness Abbey. The date when the castle was first built in Dalton is lost in obscurity. It was suggested that a castellum was founded there in AD 79 but no evidence has been found to support it. In 1127 King Stephen conferred on the Abbot of Furness the power to hold courts and administer justice and as early as 1239 there is reference to a jury in the agreement between William Felming of Admingham and the Abbey. In 1257 the first reference is made in a prison at Dalton, but the present castle, judging from its architectural details, could not have been built at that time. In 1292 the Abbot of Furness claimed the right to erect gallows at Dalton and was also allowed the pillory and ducking stool. No date has been found for the building of the present castle but the invasion of the country by the Scots between 1314 and 1346 may have necessitated the building of a castle. In 1546 at the direction of Henry VIII the castle was repaired at a cost of 20 pounds.

Dalton Castle:
In 1257 the first reference to Dalton castle is made to a prison at Dalton, but the present castle, judging from its architectural details, could not have been built at that time. In 1292 the Abbot of Furness claimed the right to erect gallows at Dalton and was also allowed the pillory and ducking stool. No date has been found for the building of the present castle but the invasion of the county by the Scots between 1314 and 1346 may have necessitated the building of a castle at the site which was already the site of the Abbey's civil administration. The details of the structure so far as they have been left after the decay and alterations of six hundred years would indicate that the present castle was built sometime between 1315 and 1360. The Castle or Pele Tower is similar in construction to many of that period. Built as a rectangle measuring 45 feet by 30 feet with walls at a maximum of 6 feet thick.

Dalton Castle

It is possible that the present castle was built to replace one destroyed after the last great raid in 1322 under the leadership of Robert the Bruce when much of Furness was devastated. The records of the rents paid to the Abbey tell the story. Prior to the raid the Church at Dalton was taxed at 8 pounds per year, after the raid it was reduced to 2. The role of the castle although originally intended as defensive appears to have been as courthouse and prison. The role of prison lasted until 1774. In 1644 as a result of a skirmish between Parliamentary and Royalist troops between Dalton and Newton a number of Parliamentary prisoners were held in the castle. The castle has been repaired and refurbished a number of times. In 1546 at the direction of King Henry VIII the castle was repaired at a cost of 20 pounds, using materials from Furness Abbey after it was found that almost all the wood was rotten, the roof needed re leading and the lime had washed out from the stonework. In 1784 and 1816 some of the windows were built up and no doubt other "modernization" made. About 1704 it is believed that the wooden floors were again replaced. Further repair and modernization was made in 1856 when one of the floors was removed and the remaining one raised and the staircase at the north end of the castle was constructed. After the National Trust obtained title of the castle from the Duke of Buccleuch the castle was further restored in 1968/69. Other repairs including a new roof have been carried out over the last few years.

Entering Dalton Castle through the main door we step into a passage with a staircase at the end. When first built the ground floor had only two rooms, the Guardroom and a smaller room above the Dungeon, the staircase which, we see and the passage wall has been added. The fireplace in the corridor is probably an original fireplace used to heat the guardroom. The fireplace in the main room downstairs is a recent addition.

Prior to the passage being built the only way through the guardroom was a doorway alongside where the new fireplace was built. Going through the doorway we would have found ourselves at the bottom of the spiral staircase. Opposite the bottom of the staircase there is a narrow passage leading to a dead end. This has been recently excavated and found to be what has been delicately termed, “the rubbish shaft”.

Beneath where the toilets now stand is the dungeon. The present entrance can be seen in the floor of the ladies toilet. No doubt the original entrance would be a grill in the floor, and this floor would be used as a holding area for prisoners waiting to be taken to the court above or the dungeon below. The door we see in the wall at the base of the stairs was added at a later date.

When first built the castle had four floors but during renovation over the years two of the floors have been removed and the new staircase constructed although the original corbels can be seen. Due to these changes access cannot be gained to the upper floor from the spiral staircase although the balconies and corbels give some indication of the floor levels. Going up to the new staircase we see two windows which were for the Ist and 3rd floors and the window at the top of the stairs was on the top floor. On the stairs there is a display of carved stone heads. Two of these are from the ruins of Furness Abbey and were found at School waters when excavations were due for the new housing estate. One of these figures is the head of a monk and the other is believed to depict the head of Christ. These heads are probably in such good condition due to the fact they were buried for so long. The third head is believed to be much older and of Celtic origin. It was common place in those days to cut off the heads of vanquished enemies and place them on the roof of your home. The intention was two fold, to show your prowess and to ward off evil spirits. With the coming of Christianity decapitating of enemies was frowned upon and so heads were carved out of stone to ward off the spirits.

Old drawing of Dalton Castle

Dalton Castle, originally a fourteenth-century peel tower, but, with many alterations and additions, has served the township of Dalton at different times as a prison, stable, market hall, local government offices and a mason’s lodge.

Pontefract Castle:
Is located in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is a town of great antiquity and historical importance. For 600 years the Castle of Pontefract was the ornament and terror of the surrounding country. The Castle was built on a rock; it was not commanded by any contiguous hill and could only be taken by blockade. The wall of the castle-yard was high, and flanked by seven towers. A deep moat was cut on the western side, where were also the barbican and drawbridge. There were other gates, which might be used as watch-towers, and some of them were protected by drawbridges. The dungeons were of a frightful nature; we read of one, a room 25 feet square, without any other entrance than a hole or trap-door in the floor of the turret; so that the prisoner must have been let down into this abode of darkness, from whence there could have been no possible mode of escape. At Pontefract today "two enormous round towers, and the ruins of a third" remain, of all the seven acres of the great stronghold to which Robert de Dalton and his three companions were taken in that summer so long ago.

About half a century before Furness Abbey was founded, Lancaster Castle was built. It is a typical Norman castle, built by the Norman Roger de Poictou, and on a hill site beside the beautiful valley of the Lune. From the east the river had come down by Caton and and Bulk; to the west it encircled Aldcliffe. These names will become familiar to us and may as well be introduced here. The castle itself, capital of the County Palatine, as Lancashire was first called, was the seat of government. "With its noble portcullised gateway and Norman Keep, and the Lungness Tower, rising some 80 feet and bearing a turret known as "John O'Gaunt's Chair" the castle is a familiar landmark for miles round." The Assizes are held here twice a year, under the charter granted by Edward II; and the dungeons are part of the show, for visitors.

Lancaster Castle

Lets look at how our Dalton Knight’s found life in an English castle:
“Castles, mysterious, majestic and romantic. We think of Knights in shining armor and chivalry. Two types of castles are brought to mind. The first is dark and cold where dragons may be present to roam the countryside. You can feel the coolness of the great thick walls where candles were carried from rooms to great halls. Women in Renaissance attire sweeping through the rooms with knowledge of the great art and literature of their era. We can almost see Sir Lancelot the greatest knight, knighted by King Arthur if we just close our eyes for one moment.

The next castle is that of grandeur. Where elegance is befitting for Kings and Queens. Where marble staircases spiral slightly downward to gilded picture frames and chandeliers of crystal. Where paintings of ancestors are life sized and banquet tables are laden in their finest china and silver. Grand ballrooms are the norm, with ceilings of plaster castings and engraved woodworking. Outside, past the balcony there is a oasis of tranquility in the formal gardens. They are bright and joyful, where paths of brick just might lead you to a secret garden.

Life in a Medieval Castle:
Whether on the motte, in the bailey, inside the walls of the shell keep, or as a separate building within the great curtain walls of the 13th century, the living quarters of a castle invariably had one basic element: the hall. A large one-room structure with a loft ceiling, the hall was sometimes on the ground floor, but often, as is Fitz Osbern's great tower at Chepstow, it was raised to the second story for greater security. Early halls were aisled like a church, with rows of wooden posts or stone pillars supporting the timber roof. Windows were equipped with wooden shutters secured by an iron bar, but in the 11th and 12th centuries were rarely glazed. By the 13th century a king or great baron might have "white (greenish) glass" in some of his windows, and by the 14th century glazed windows were common.

In a ground-floor hall the floor was beaten earth, stone or plaster; when the hall was elevated to the upper story the floor was nearly always timber, supported either by a row of wooden pillars in the basement below, as in Chepstow's Great Hall or by stone vaulting. Carpets, although used on walls, tables, and benches, were not used as floor coverings in Britain and northwest Europe until the 14th century. Floors were strewn with rushes and in the later Middle Ages sometimes with herbs. The rushes were replaced at intervals and the floor swept, but Erasmus, noting a condition that must have been true in earlier times, observed that often under them lay "an ancient collection of beer, grease, fragments, bones, spittle, excrement of dogs and cats and everything that is nasty."

Entrance to the hall was usually in a sidewall near the lower end. When the hall was on an upper story, an outside staircase next to the wall of the keep commonly reached this entrance. The castle family sat on a raised dais of stone or wood at the upper end of the hall, opposite to the entrance, away from drafts and intrusion. The lord (and perhaps the lady) occupied a massive chair, sometimes with a canopy by way of emphasizing status. Everyone else sat on benches. Most dining tables were set on temporary trestles that were dismantled between meals; a permanent, or "dormant," table was another sign of prestige, limited to the greatest lords. But all tables were covered with white cloths, clean and ample. Lighting was by rushlights or candles, of wax or tallow (melted animal fat), impaled on vertical spikes or an iron candlestick with a tripod base, or held in a loop, or supported on wall brackets or iron candelabra. Oil lamps in bowl form on a stand, or suspended in a ring, provided better illumination, and flares sometimes hung from iron rings in the wall.

If the later Middle Ages had made only slight improvements in lighting over earlier centuries, a major technical advance had come in heating: the fireplace, an invention of deceptive simplicity. The fireplace provided heat both directly and by radiation from the stones at the back, from the hearth, and finally, from the opposite wall, which was given extra thickness to absorb the heat and warm the room after the fire had burned low. The ancestor of the fireplace was the central open hearth, used in ground-level halls in Saxon times and often into later centuries. Such a hearth may have heated one of the two halls of Chepstow's 13th-century domestic range, where there are no traces of a fireplace. Square, circular, or octagonal, the central hearth was bordered by stone or tile and sometimes had a backing of tile, brick or stone. Smoke rose through a louver, a lantern-like structure in the roof with side openings that were covered with sloping boards to exclude rain and snow, and that could be closed by pulling strings, like venetian blinds. There were also roof ventilators. A couvre-feu (fire cover) made of tile or china was placed over the hearth at night to reduce the fire hazard.

When the hall was raised to the second story, a fireplace in one wall took the place of the central hearth, dangerous on an upper level, especially with a timber floor. The hearth was moved to a location against a wall with a funnel or hood to collect and control the smoke, and finally, funnel and all was incorporated into the wall. This early type of fireplace was arched, and set into the wall at a point where an external buttress thickened it, with the smoke venting through the buttress. Toward the end of the 12th century, the fireplace began to be protected by a projecting hood of stone or plaster, which controlled the smoke more effectively and allowed for a shallower recess. Flues ascended vertically through the walls to a chimney, cylindrical with an open top, or with side vents and a conical cap.

In the 13th century the castle kitchen was still generally of timber, with a central hearth or several fireplaces where meat could be spitted or stewed in a cauldron. Utensils were washed in a scullery outside. Poultry and animals for slaughter were trussed and tethered nearby. Temporary extra kitchens were set up for feasts. In the bailey near the kitchen the castle garden was usually planted with fruit trees and vines at one end, and plots of herbs, and flowers - roses, lilies, heliotropes, violets, poppies, daffodils, iris, gladiola. There might also be a fishpond, stocked with trout and pike.

In the earliest castles the family slept at the extreme upper end of the hall, beyond the dais, from which the sleeping quarters were typically separated by only a curtain or screen. Fitz Osbern's hall at Chepstow, however, substituted for this temporary division a permanent wooden partition. Sometimes castles with ground-floor halls had their great chamber, where the lord and lady slept, in a separate wing at the dais end of the hall, over a storeroom, matched at the other end, over the buttery and pantry, by a chamber for the eldest son and his family, for guests, or for the castle steward. These second-floor chambers were sometimes equipped with "squints," peepholes concealed in wall decorations by which the owner or steward could keep an eye on what went on below.

The lord and lady's chamber, when situated on an upper floor, was called the solar. By association, any private chamber, whatever its location, came to be called a solar. Its principal item of furniture was a great bed with a heavy wooden frame and springs made of interlaced ropes or strips of leather, overlaid with a feather mattress, sheets, quilts, fur coverlets, and pillows. Such beds could be dismantled and taken along on the frequent trips a great lord made to his castles and other manors. The bed was curtained, with linen hangings that pulled back in the daytime and closed at night to give privacy as well as protection from drafts. Personal servants might sleep in the lord's chamber on a pallet or trundle bed, or on a bench. Chests for garments, a few "perches" or wooden pegs for clothes, and a stool or two made up the remainder of the furnishings. Sometimes a small anteroom called the wardrobe adjoined the chamber - a storeroom where cloth, jewels, spices and plates were stored in chests, and where dressmaking was done.

In the early Middle Ages, when few castles had large permanent garrisons, not only servants but military and administrative personnel slept in towers or in basements, or in the hall, or in lean-to structures; knights performing castle guard slept near their assigned posts. Later, when castles were manned by larger garrisons, often mercenaries, separate barracks, mess halls, and kitchens were built.

Except for the screens and kitchen passages, the domestic quarters of medieval castles contained no internal corridors. Rooms opened into each other, or were joined by spiral staircases which, required minimal space and could serve pairs of rooms on several floors. Covered external passageways called pentices joined a chamber to a chapel or to a wardrobe and might have windows, paneling, and even fireplaces. (Note: When the author mentions a lack of "corridors," keep in mind he is referring to early medieval castles. By contrast, Edward I later masterpieces at Beaumaris and Caernarfon are well known for their sets of interior passageways.)

Water for washing and drinking was often available at a central drawing point on each floor. Besides the well, inside or near the keep, there might be a cistern or reservoir on an upper level whose pipes carried water to the floors below. Hand washing was sometimes done at a laver or built-in basin in a recess in the hall entrance, with a projecting trough. Servants filled the tank above, and a lead pipe below, inflow and outflow controlled by valves with bronze or copper taps and spouts carried wastewater away. Baths were taken in a wooden tub, protected by a tent or canopy and padded with cloth. In warm weather, the tub was often placed in the garden; in cold weather, in the chamber near the fire. When the lord traveled, the tub accompanied him, along with a bathman who prepared the baths. The latrine, or "garderobe," not to be confused with the wardrobe, was situated as close to the bedchamber as possible (and was supplemented by the universally used chamber pot). Ideally, the garderobe was sited at the end of a short, right-angled passage in the thickness of the wall, often a buttress. When the chamber walls were not thick enough for this arrangement, a latrine was corbeled out from the wall over either a moat or river, as in the domestic range at Chepstow, or with a long shaft reaching nearly to the ground.

An indispensable feature of the castle of a great lord was the chapel where the lord and his family heard morning mass. In rectangular hall-keeps this was often in the fore building, sometimes at basement level, sometimes on the second floor. By the 13th century, the chapel was usually close to the hall, convenient to the high table and bed chamber, forming an L with the main building or sometimes projecting opposite the chamber. A popular arrangement was to build the chapel two stories high, with the nave divided horizontally; the family sat in the upper part, reached from their chamber, while the servants occupied the lower part.

By the later 13th century, the castle had achieved a considerable degree of comfort, convenience, and privacy. The lord and lady, who had begun by eating and sleeping in the great hall with their household, had gradually withdrawn to their own apartments. A century later, in Piers Plowman, William Langland lamented at this change, and blamed technology: the wall fireplace, with its draft chimney, which freed the household from huddling around the central hearth of the old days.

Source: Life in a Medieval Castle, Joseph and Frances Gies, Harper and Row, New York, 1974.

The next story is about how our Dalton Knight’s must have lived within the Feudal System of medieval England.

The Feudal System——
The king owned all and the earls and barons were his vassals. They were given protection for a pledge of fealty (paying homage- submission, loyalty and service), and were bound to 40 days a year for battle duty. They also provided soldiers for the king. Since the king owned the land, the great nobles (dukes and earls) were given vast estates, then the lesser nobles (the barons), then the minor lords, and then the tenants who had a few acres. The baron's manor (called a fief) was away from the village and the peasant's cottages. The property the barons resided on and grew crops on was called demesne land. He rented it in exchange for military service or money. There was at least one knight on the fief, who led armed villeins during battles with other barons.

The Baron's House:
The manor and demense land consisted of a Dovecot (pigeonhouse), orchard, pond, falconry (the hawk house - the mew) and a chapel. Orchards had apple, cherry, pear, plum and quince trees. Walls and towers surrounded Demense lands. The residence had more and better furniture possessions and kitchenware than the peasants. The house had a truckle bed (a low bed on rollers). There were barns for livestock. The Lady of the manor and priest gave alms. As far as the village was concerned there was the peasant's church, the priest's house, a bakery, brewery and a winepress. A mill by the river, a smithy and an ale house. Three great fields and hay meadow. The forests surrounded the fief.

The men who helped manage the estate:
Steward - a Knight who managed the estates, kept the accounts and presided over the Manor Court. Collected rent. On the road often. His wife was one of the dairymaids.

Bailiff - enforced the law and punished the peasants. His wife would also be one of the dairymaids.

Hayward - the village constable. Guards the hay meadows, declares boon-work (the work in the baron's fields), wakes villagers, measures the sheaves, impounds stray beasts, collects peasant's fines.

Reeve - a peasant chosen by the other villeins as their representative. The chief officer of the town or village foreman. Directed the common husbandry, reports to bailiff of misdeeds. Lived better than the rest of the peasants.

Medieval Towns:
Anywhere there was a large population, there were homes, shops and inns. Walls to defend the population from attack surrounded these areas. Space was limited and the streets were often filthy. To make the most of the available space, the upper floors of the buildings extended over the streets. Since there was always a threat of fire, the town crier put of the streetlights (candles) when the town was asleep.

Starting in the 13th century landholders below the status of the barons, and the inhabitants of the towns were able to increase in wealth and importance. They sometimes sent representatives to Parliament. The knights of the shire represented the landholders and the burgesses represented the townspeople

When Duke William of Normandy became king of England, the defeated Anglo-Saxon population became his peasants and serfs, bound to the land of the Norman barons.

The Peasants and the Manor:
The peasants lived on their baron's property, which was called a fief. There were about 28 cottages on either side of the road in the peasant's village, about 150 inhabitants, and their church was in the center of the village. The baron's manor house was placed far away from the peasant's village. Also on the fief were workshops, barns and a mill. The peasant's cottages were called tofts, and in return for their humble abodes they worked in the baron's fields, gave of their harvest and paid dues. The free families or freeholders were tenants of the baron. They paid rent and like the peasants they sometimes worked on the baron's property (called demense land) for a few days or for a fixed number of sheaves of corn or head of poultry at harvest or Christmas.

The peasant's beds were pallets of straw or bags of dried ferns or heather. They slept in their day-clothes and used animal pelts or their cloaks for covers. Their cottages were made of thatch and wattle. Thatch (dried reeds) for the roofs and wattle (wood poles and woven sticks and branches with straw in between) for walls. The outer surface was a layer of mud, straw and cow dung. The outside walls were whitewashed. The peasants also kept stacks of manure near their cottages for use as fertilizer.

The cottage was on a strip of land called a croft, which bordered the road and the field. The cottage had one room, and the hens and livestock were kept inside at night. Some of the better homes had two rooms, with a bedroom (or bower). They cottages did not have chimneys, the fire was contained in a clay-lined pit in the floor, the smoke escaping through windows doors and crevices. Bathrooms were earth closets or a pit. Dirt floor, muddy and wet with rain and the rushes on the floor rotted. Furniture boards on trestles, tree stumps for stools, wooden bowls, plates (or trenchers) and spoons, dagger used as knife. Cupboard, bench and a trunk. Peasants provided for the baron's knights, who were free men. The villeins were not free, so they could not move, sell livestock or marry without the baron's permission. The poorest, called cottars, only had a garden and no land in the field. Old widows and spinsters lived with their families. Ale-wives and some widows lived alone. Some villagers were employed as servants and hired others to tend their land. Peasants owned oxen, cows, pigs, bee hives, hens, geese and ducks. They also owned a few dogs each. Cats roamed freely. Dogs were "lawed"——their front claws cut. Peasants were not allowed to hunt——a peasant killing a deer was likened to killing a man. There was a nightly watch-and-ward——all suspicious travelers were apprehended after nightfall. Peasants were also known as villeins or bordars, the poorest called cottars or serfs.

Peasant's clothing:
Blouse of gray or blue-colored cloth or sheepskin, leather belt, woolen hosery, woolen caps and wooden shoes. In winter a thick, woolen mantel and heavy leather boots. Women wore dresses of similar color and material. A man in a gray coat and scarlet hat was a leper. Someone with a cross on each side of his chest was a released heretic.

Peasant's diet:
Mostly vegetables - onions, cabbage, garlic, radishes, beans, peas and a lot of bread. Some beef, fowl, bacon, fish, cheese, butter and milk. Oat cakes and rough, black whole-meal bread. In winter they ate salted meats, bacon, pea and bean soup, pease (pea) pudding. In the early spring the flour bins and the food supply was low. Some peasants poached hares, rabbits, pigeons, eels, fish and singing birds. They owned one or two apple trees and collected nuts from the woods. Drank ale and cider. The poor drank perry and "October brew". Perry-white from pears was mixed with cheap ale and sold in taverns.

Chores:
Rise before sunrise for chores, then eat breakfast. They did all the work on the fief, the baron's field taking priority over their own. Planted wheat, barley, oats and rye. During the winter they cleaned ditches, gathered wood, tended to the animals and made tools. They also repaired and constructed barns, sheds and fences, and made ricks (piles of firewood) until harvest. Women spun wool, flax and tow on their distaff and spindle, and embroidered, sewed, made baskets and clothes, knitted, weaved and made tapestries. They also worked in the field during harvest. Peasant children did not go to school. They collected nuts and berries, weeded the fields, picked stoned from the fields and chased the birds from the fields also. The peasants plowed the fields with the oxen and when they got old (the oxen, not the peasants) they were used for leather and meat.

Peasants rights:
Peasants had no rights when it came to the barons, but had rights against each other. Met twice a month in winter in lord's hall or under oak tree in the summer. The steward presided and the clerk was the scribe. Covered in the court were things like land transfers in the family, the buying and selling of land, marriages, collection of dues, thievery, assaults and poaching. Also heard the reeve's reports on misdeeds and fines were given out.

Payments made by peasants:
Tallage paid at Michelmas (the feast of archangel St. Michael) for land use.

Incoming tallage for new lord.

Heriot tax - the death tax. When villein died his best cow was taken. If he was poor, the baron took his best possession.

Mortuary - second best beast given to the priest.

Merchet - a fine paid on daughter's marriage.

Relief - man takes over father's or widow's land.

Wood penny - to collect dead wood in the forest.

1/10th of wheat crop.

1/16th of flour.

Newborn animal out of ten to church.

Eggs and hens at Christmas. (The barons told them it was better to give than to receive.)

Eggs and hens at Yule.

Fine if son becomes a priest or monk.

Fee for grinding wheat.

Fee for baking.

Money taken when beast was sold.

Fee when son (of baron) was knighted.

Peasants could also buy their freedom.

Some of the hardships of the peasants:
Bound to the soil and sold with the estate.

The barons would ride through their fields in pursuit of game.

Children of slaves (serfs) could be taken from parents and sold.

If the baron had company, the village provided for the food. This could starve a whole village. For example: King Richard II and two other lords and their retinue consumed 120 sheep, 16 oxen, 152 pigs, 210 geese, 900 chickens, 1,200 pigeons, 50 swans, 11,000 eggs, 130 gallons of milk and cream.

Newborn animal out of ten to church.

Eggs and hens at Christmas. (The barons told them it was better to give than to receive.)

Eggs and hens at Yule.

Fine if son becomes a priest or monk.

Money taken when beast was sold.

Fee when son (of baron) was knighted.

Peasants could also buy their freedom.

If baron was at war with another lord he could force his villeins into duty. They was a chance that some of the peasants would be killed or mutilated, and since their cottages were outside the walls surrounding the baron's manor house they were often looted.

Peasants were not "law worthy". They had no defense in royal courts.

Source: Copied off the Internet.

Bispham

Many Dalton researchers have determined that Bispham is where our Dalton family is connected. Next are some descriptions of the places that our Dalton family owned, lived and died.

Dalton’s of Bispham, Croston and Thurnham, by R.N.D. Hamilton.

(R.N.D. Hamilton was an official of the Dalton Genealogical Society of England)

“In my article entitled a living line AD 1230 - AD 1988 (DGSJ Vol. I8 No. I) I explored two lines of descent from Sir Rychard Dalton of Byspham (b circa 1230), one through his son, Sir Robert Dalton of Bispham and his descendant Sir Rychard Dalton of Apethorps and his daughter Ales, and the other through his younger son Sir John Dalton and the Dalton’s of Kirkby Misperton in Yorkshire including Roger Dalton who emigrated as a planter to Ireland.

The Bispham Dalton's:
Bispham appeared to be the first place in which the Dalton’s became established. It will be seen from the pedigree (based on the two Visitations of Lawrence Dalton, who appears in the pedigree, and William Flower as successive Norroy Kings-at-Arms) that the Sir Rychard of 1230 who heads the pedigree is described as being of Byspham. However, on p. 100 of the Victoria County History of Lancashire Vol. 6. it is stated that in 1288 the Manor of Bispham was held by Amery de Bispham (a lady) and that "Soon afterwards it passed, probably by marriage, to the Dalton family who took their surname from the township of that name on the western side of the Douglas." Sir Robert de Dalton was in possession about 1324 and died in 1350.

There may be some doubt as to whether the Dalton’s were in possession at Bispham as early as 1230 AD. It would certainly seem unlikely that they then owned the Manor, but they may have been tenants or as other form of occupier under the Lord of the Manor; they may have built their holdings up gradually over a period. It seems fairly certain that at some time the first Sir Robert owned the Manor or a substantial share in it and that this passed down at least to William Dalton the great grandson of Robert Dalton of Bispayne, the younger brother of Sir Rychard of Apethorpe. Sir Rychard of Apethorpe is in fact described in Lawrence Dalton's Visitation as of Bispham and the reference to Apethorpe is derived from other information. It is to be noted that in the pedigree the younger brother Robert is described as "of Bispham" and it may be that Sir Rychard went to Apethorpe after succeeding, the younger brother remaining at Bispham.

So although there may be some doubt about their first coming to Bispham and ownership of the Manor, there is no doubt that the Dalton’s had interests there for many years.

On page 98, Vol. 4 of the VCH Lancs. It says that “The Dalton family, who took their name from this township, but are better known as Lords of Bispham in Leyland and afterwards of Thurnham.”

In the circumstances I feel that it is reasonably clear that it was the Bispham in the parish of Croston in Leyland Hundred with which the Dalton’s were associated with.

There are several Lancashire villages named Dalton. Nearby one of these Dalton villages is the little village of Bispham, one of three in England. The Amery De Biscop family held lands in these villages and one of them is located north of Dalton, formerly known as Biscopham, and nowadays designated as Bispham, shown on maps as Bispham Green The distance between these two points on the map is about six miles.

The quiet small hamlet of Bispham lies in the eastern section of the West Lancashire district and is only a few miles from both Wigan and Chorley. Sited on the slopes of the Parbold Hills above the Douglas Valley, Bispham Green is the focal point of the parish from where a number of winding lanes radiates around the beautiful countryside. The area was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Biscophan' meaning 'The Bishops Estate' being derived from the Old English words ' Biscop & ham'.

So by this known information is it a possibly that the little village of Dalton near Bispham is in fact how the surname of de Dalton originated?

Legend states that Le Sieur de Dalton allegedly arrived in England in 1154 and was the father of this clan. Although pedigrees exist and there are mentions in the Close Rolls, constructing a time line for these early Dalton’s is difficult. Records of possession of Bispham Hall by Dalton’s do give a calendar of their presence. In the records there is a space of 36 years from Biscop family possession in 1288 to the possession by a Dalton in 1324.

It is recorded that Sir Robert de Dalton took possession of Bispham Hall in modern day Bispham Green, in 1324 and was followed by his son Sir John, in 1369. Sir Robert was also recorded to be of Pickering in Yorkshire and held an interest in Croston Hall as well.

Information about the township of Dalton and Bispham in Lancashire:
There are several Lancashire villages named Dalton. Nearby one of these Dalton villages

is the little village of Bispham, one of three in England. The Amery De Biscop family held lands in these villages and one of them is located north of Dalton, formerly known as Biscopham,and nowadays designated as Bispham, shown on maps as Bispham Green The distance between these two points on the map is about six miles. So by this known information is it a possibly that the little village of Dalton near Bispham is in fact how the surname of de Dalton originated?

Legend states that The Sire de Dalton allegedly arrived in England in 1135 and was the father of this clan. Although pedigrees exist and there are mentions in the Close Rolls, constructing a time line for these early Dalton’s is difficult. Records of possession of Bispham Hall by Dalton’s do give a calendar of their presence. In the records there is a space of 36 years from Biscop family possession in 1288 to the possession by a Dalton in 1324.

It is recorded that Sir Robert de Dalton, took possession of Bispham Hall in modern day Bispham Green, in 1324 and was followed by his son Sir John, in 1369. Sir Robert was also recorded to be of Pickering in Yorkshire and held an interest in Croston Hall as well.

The lands of Bispham village numbered about 900 acres in the 14th Century and today number about 1000 acres. Occupancy of Bispham Hall by a succession of Dalton’s lasted from 1324 to 1558, when Sir Robert Dalton (later of Thurnham) transferred his interest to William Stopford. During 238 years of known Dalton occupancy, at least 9 generations of Dalton’s, some with fairly large families, descended from Sir Robert. It was inevitable that they migrated into the surrounding areas for their livelihood.

Bispham was originally in the Parish of Croston as was the adjacent small village, Mawdesley. Records show the purchase of land by the Bispham Dalton’s at Bentley Carre in Mawdesley where farming was of prime importance and basket making was also a trade of the Dalton’s. The distance between Bispham and Croston is about two and a half miles. Besides being part owners of Croston Hall, Dalton’s owned land and farmed in Croston. Records show the sale of tenements in Croston by Sir Robert and his mother Margaret, prior to purchasing the Manor at Thurnham.

One branch of Dalton’s shows the family ownership of the same farms in Croston for almost 400 years from 1609. Because they were landowners, rather than agricultural labourers, the land tended to remain in the possession of descendants, usually the eldest son. Many descendants of this family remain in Croston and Mawdesley today.

Just south of Dalton is the village of Up Holland. The De Hollands’ and Dalton’s were close friends. It was here that a De Holland hid Sir John after his dastardly act. Records show that marriages were performed between Dalton’s and Holland’s up to the 16th Century. As you study a English Ordnance Survey map, note the number of Halls that appear on the map. The lords of the manors were not only friends and entertained, but their children intermarried. One Hall missing from the map is Park Hall, now the base for a Theme Park, located at the side of M6 "motel" near Charnock Richard, and important because of a Dalton/Hoghton marriage in 1664.

Elizabeth Dalton the heir to Robert Dalton III of Thurnham Hall, married William Hoghton and whose son, John changed his name to Dalton to take possession of Thurnham Hall.

This is the area from where the ancestors to many of us originated, and where they remained for over 700 years. It is an area of narrow country roads, lined with tall hedges. There are numerous farms and small clusters of brick houses. It is a quiet place interrupted only by the sound of farm machinery in a field, or the pealing of church bells. People are friendly, and many ancient customs and traditions are still uninterrupted by the march of time.

I had the pleasure to visit this area in June of 2003 and took many photos of all the above places of my Dalton ancestors. Rodney Dalton - July of 2003.

A description of Manors and Villages in early England:
The manors were very diverse in size and although they appear from Domesday to be very typical; compact, centered around a church and separated by open land, they were not. Instead, habitations in most areas of late 11th century England followed a very ancient pattern of isolated farms, hamlets and tiny villages interspersed with fields and scattered over most of the cultivable land. As in the Iron Age, over time the settlements gradually shifted or were abandoned or reclaimed.

The great majority of Domesday landholders came from northern France, but there were still a few Anglo-Saxons and Danes. Many formerly independent Anglo-Saxon and Danish thanes and their descendants appear in Domesday as the under-tenants of Norman lords.

The lands of Bispham village numbered about 900 acres in the 14th Century and today number about 1000 acres. Occupancy of Bispham Hall by a succession of Dalton’s lasted from 1324 to 1558, when Sir Robert Dalton (later of Thurnham) transferred his interest to William Stopford. During 238 years of known Dalton occupancy, at least 9 generations of Dalton’s, some with fairly large families descended from Sir Robert. It was inevitable that they migrated into the surrounding areas for their livelihood.

Besides being part owners of Croston Hall, Dalton’s owned land and farmed in Croston. Records show the sale of tenements in Croston by Sir Robert and his mother Margaret, prior to purchasing the Manor at Thurnham. On branch of Dalton’s shows the family ownership of the same farms in Croston for almost 400 years from 1609. Because they were landowners, rather than agricultural labourers, the land tended to remain in the possession of descendants, usually the eldest son. Many descendants of this family remain in Croston and Mawdesley today.

If you study the Ordnance Survey map along with Birth and Marriage records, they show that in the 16th Century, Dalton’s inhabited many of the villages surrounding Bispham and Dalton. Some went east to Standish and were raising families there before Myles Standish traveled to North America. Others went to Coppull and Chorley and into Eccleston. And in a wider circle went on to Preston, Burnley, Thurnham, etc.

Rod Dalton & his distant English cousin John Dalton at Bispham Hall in Bispham Green
near the little village of Dalton in Lancashire England – June 2003

The Manor of Byspham was sold by the family in 1558, thus severing the link between the names of Dalton and Byspham which had existed for at least three hundred and possibly as many as four hundred years.

The Dalton family moved from Bispham to their new estate at Thurnham Hall near Lancaster.

The story of our Dalton family and their time at Thurnham Hall:
Thurnham Hall was the seat of the Dalton's of Thurnham for over four centuries, it having been acquired by that family in 1556. Before that the earliest owners had adopted the name of their property and were known as the de Thurnham’s. In the 12th century William de Thurnham granted land to the hospital of Cockers and Abbey and thereafter there was always a close connection between Hall and Abbey and after the Dissolution they came under the same ownership.

The estate passed from the de Thurnham’s by descent through the families. of Fleming, Cancefield, Harrington, Bonvile and Grey. Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset, who had fought at the Battle of Tewkesbury, later took arms against Richard III having sided with the Earl of Richmond. He was on the winning side and Richmond became Henry VII but in 1487 Dorset was imprisoned on suspicion of high treason and his estates, including Thurnham, were forfeited to the Crown. However he was later released and his properties returned to him. Dorset's son, the 3rd Marquess, is better known to history as Henry, Duke of Suffolk, the father of Lady Jane Grey. With Suffolk the Grey family connexion with Thurnham ended, for in 1553 he sold the estate to a London grocer by the name of Thomas Lonne. It was Lonne who, three years later sold the estate to Robert Dalton of Bispham, Lancashire. Robert was the grandson of William Dalton of Bispham by his wife Jane, the daughter of Sir John Townley of Townley, one of the oldest families in the county. He married Anne Kitchen, and through her the Daltons acquired the sequestered lands of Cockersand Abbey.

Robert Dalton had a son, Thomas, who fought on the side of the King in the Civil War, and ten (some authorities say seven) daughters all renowned for their piety and for their adherence to the Roman Catholic Faith (the Daltons being well-known recusants in the county). These pious ladies lived at Aldcliffe Hall and were known as the 'Catholic Virgins'. Their brother Thomas suffered for his part in the Civil War. Having raised a troop of horse for his King he was wounded at the second battle of Newbury and died within a week at Marlborough. The Cromwellians seized his properties and those of his sisters but they were afterwards restored to the family.

The Dalton's continued at Thurnham until Robert Dalton, grandson of the original purchaser of the estate, died leaving an heiress, Elizabeth Dalton, who married into another ancient and staunchly Roman Catholic Lancashire family the de Hoghton's. Her husband was William de Hoghton, one of the de Hoghtons of Hoghton Tower. The son of this union, John de Hoghton, took the name of Dalton. Like his forbears he incurred trouble by loyalty to the Old Faith and the old Royal Family for in 1715 he joined the first Jacobite uprising when the Scots arrived at Lancaster. For this he was imprisoned in London and his land confiscated. After his release he walked back to Lancashire and recovered Thurnham after paying a huge fine.

John Dalton, who died in the year of Queen Victoria's accession, married Mary Gage. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Rookwood Gage, 5th baronet by his wife, Lucy Knight. The Gage baronetcy eventually became extinct, but the main line of the family, who became Viscounts, are still extant and live at Firle Place, Sussex. The 16th century house in which John Dalton inherited was regarded as a little old-fashioned so that after his marriage he refaced the mullioned windows and massive bays with a smart new 'Gothick' facade of Ashlar, castellated and with Gothick windows. This facade, before the Crabtrees arrived, was in danger of complete collapse and in a very dilapidated condition. Happily it has been completely restored by Mr. Crabtree to the appearance it must have had when John Dalton completed it. Mr. Dalton put his arms and those of his wife (Gage) over the door.

John Dalton's only son, also John, died without issue and Thurnham passed, at the death of John senior in 1837, to his daughter Elizabeth who lived at the Hall until her death. Elizabeth Dalton was one of several sisters, all of whom predeceased her without children. She was a remarkable woman of stern will and great piety - a throwback to those 17th century Dalton ladies - the 'Catholic Virgins'. Not only did she build the present private chapel in the house, but she paid for much of the present Thurnham Roman Catholic Church in 1848. Up till then there was a small chapel. In 1837 her father, John Dalton, had left £100 in his will towards a fund for building a new church commensurate with the religious revival of the 19th century sparked off by the Oxford Movement. Funds were not readily forthcoming and ten years later there was only £1 000 available so Miss Dalton came to the rescue and offered to pay the balance. The building was completed in August 1848 at a cost of £5000. The new edifice was aptly dedicated to St. Thomas More and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, the Princess who spent her life in penance and self-denial. Both dedications were apt since St. Elizabeth was the namesake of the benefactor of Thurnham Church and St. Thomas More was one of the forbears of her successors at Thurnham.

At her death in 1861 at the age of 81, a distant cousin, Sir James Fitzgerald, succeeded her. We have now to look back to Robert Dalton, whose son married Mary Gage and was responsible for the present west facade. Robert married thrice, his third wife being Bridget, daughter of Thomas More, of Barnborough Hall, near Doncaster. Bridget was the heiress and last lineal descendant of St. Thomas More, thus reinforcing the strong Catholic traditions of Thurnham. Her daughter, also Bridget, married Sir James Fitzgerald, 7th baronet, of Castle Ishen, co. Cork and it was their grandson, the 9th baronet, who inherited Thurnham. On doing so he assumed the additional name of Dalton, becoming Sir James Dalton-Fitzgerald and quartered the arms of Dalton with his own. Unfortunately Sir James only lived another six years and died in 1867 without issue. His brother, Sir Gerald Dalton-Fitzgerald succeeded to the title and property but in turn died childless so that the baronetcy became extinct. After Elizabeth Dalton's death there was a sale at Thurnham of most of the contents and thence forward it remained empty, the Fitzgeralds remaining mostly on their Essex estates. The Dalton portraits and heirlooms not sold in 1861 were transferred to Essex.

With the passing of the Fitzgeralds, however, Thurnham came back into the male line of the Dalton's in the person of William Henry Dalton, a second cousin of the last Fitzgerald baronet. W. H. Dalton was descended from Robert Dalton (d. 1785) and his third wife Bridget More. He married an American wife and had two sons and six daughters. His elder son, John Henry, succeeded to the estate and was followed by his brother, William Augustus Dalton. Both brothers interested themselves in the excavations then being carried out at Cockersand Abbey, the Chapter House of which had for many years served as a burial place for the Dalton's. Many of the finds were kept at the Hall and the findings of the excavations were fully published by the Ancient Monuments Society.

In an account of Thurnham written in 1900 the Hall is described as in a semi- ruinous state with floors being unsafe and stonework in a parlous state.

With the death of William Augustus Dalton the Dalton's died out in the male line. Thurnham slowly deteriorated through the years. After the last war the paneling was removed. In 1959 a fire damaged part of the dilapidated building. It looked as if the same fate would overtake it as it had so many hundred fine old houses this century. Nobody could have foreseen the happy sequel.

The restoration of Thurnham Hall:
A house, which has been neglected for ten-years can become so decayed as to make its restoration an almost impossibly costly task. How much more difficult when the house has been decaying for a century! Thus it was with Thurnham when Mr. S. H. Crabtree first saw it and made up his mind to rescue it from imminent danger of collapse or demolition.

Thurnham Hall dates back to the 13th century when the original pele tower was built. This tower is incorporated with later work as the building was enlarged through the ages, notably from the 16th to the 19th centuries. With the amount of work done on the house in recent years it can truly be said that Thurnham has the traces of seven centuries of English architecture in its make-up. Mr. Crabtree, a successful businessman and former managing director of a profitable light engineering firm, bought the house and four acres of land in 1973 as an almost incredible act of faith. He was then living at Stubley Old Hall at Littleborough and he and his family was looking for somewhere nearer the sea. When they saw Thurnham it seemed not only ideal but also presented an irresistible challenge to a man who had much experience in working with his hands and had already restored a 70 foot yacht and several Rolls Royces, two of which are on show in Blackpool and one took pride of place in Tokyo Antiques Fair.

Mr. Crabtree's wife and son might well have regarded him as crazy and objected to a long period of hard work and possibly heartbreak as well, but the Crabtrees were made of sterner stuff. Mr. Crabtree, his wife, his son David and his son's fiancee have all got down to it and helped to restore this fine old house.

One of the first concerns was the facade erected in 1823 by John Dalton. It was dressed with stone from Lancaster Castle but was in a very dangerous condition. The iron dowels had rusted, expanded and blown off the stone in large chunks. With the stresses expanding sideways the outer wall bulged forward from the wall behind bringing down mouldings and smashing lintels. A craftsman was found who could do the work, a Mr. Pemberton, but unfortunately he lived at Saddleworth some 70 miles away. For two years Mr. Pemberton traveled 140 miles a day to do this labour of love. The result is a perfect restoration of John Dalton's facade. A local carpenter was found to install the paneling and to carry out other intricate work. A fire had swept through a section of the house in 1959 and so this part had to be almost completely rebuilt. A century of wind and rain had caused havoc with the interior and it all had to be put tight.

Looking at photographs of the building in its last stages of decay and seeing it now it seems that a miracle has been performed. Thurnham, once again, is a fine country house and a family home.

The next article was taken off the Internet and was edited by Rodney Dalton with added material:
Sir Robert Dalton purchased Thurnham Hall, near Lancaster in 1556 for 1500 pounds from Thomas Lonne, citizen and grocer of London who acquired it in 1553 from Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk and father of Lady Jane Grey. The estate was passed down through members of Robert’s family or rightful heir’s, to the last heir, Miss Alzira Dalton of Texas who passed away in 1982 at Thurnham. The estate included property in Lancaster and also Cockersand Abbey, once a flourishing monastery. Robert built Thurnham Hall, which remains to this day. All that remains of Cockersand Abbey is the Chapter house, in, which are the graves of many members of the Dalton family of Thurnham Hall.

Behind Thurnham Hall, and virtually invisible from the road is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Thomas and Elizabeth, which was built in 1847 replacing an earlier small church, built about 1785. There are many Dalton’s buried in the adjoining cemetery. Prior to the erection of the first church, Catholics worshiped in Thurnham.

You can see Thurnham Hall from the main road at the south end of Galgate and where there is visible the spire of this Thurnham Roman Catholic Church. It rises, with peaceful picture quaint-ness above a mass of trees, to the west, and can be seen for miles on every side of Thurnham Hall but, because of the many trees about the place, it is not visible from the Ellel side at all. In a straight line, the Hall is about a mile and a quarter from Galgate; but by the nearest available way - that along the Lancaster and Preston Canal, the Glasson Dock branch thereof and the fields on the north side of the Hall - it is something like a mile and three-quarters from the village. The branch canal referred to extends from a point about 650 yards south of Galgate to Glasson, it is two and a half miles long, and was opened in 1826,Ohen Halton, above Lancaster was a Saxon manor called Haltune. Thurnham was a portion of such manor with a land area equal to 200 acres.

The earliest property owner in Thurnham wasWilliam de Forness, who, it is conjectured, took the name of William de Thurnham, and who in the l2th century made or confirmed a grant of land to the hospital of Cockersand. Alicia, sister and heiress of Michael de Fleming, and widow of the 5^th, Sir Richard de Canfields, confirmed this grant. The manor of Thurnham descended from the Flemings to the Canfields, and through the latter to the Harringtons, whose successors were the Bonvilles and then the Greys. In 1483-4 the estates of Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset, which included the lordship of Thurnham, were, on account of high treason, forfeited to the Crown; but in 1485-6 they were restored to him. In 1553 his son Henry, Duke of Suffolk, conveyed, for 1,080, the Manor of Thurnham to a London citizen and grocer, named Thomas Lonne, who in 1556 sold the same for £1,500 to Robert Dalton, of Bispham, in the parish of Croston. Robert Dalton left no issue and when he died his brothers gained control of Thurnhan Hall and his property. Robert Dalton II a nephew of the first Robert, and by his second marriage, with his union with Elyza, daughter of William Hulton, of Hulton Park, near East Houghton was the Lord of the Manor of Thurnham. Robert Dalton had one son and seven daughters. When he died his son, Thomas inherited his Thurnham property, as well as some which, he had in other places. This Thomas raised a troop of horse for the King, at the time of the Civilwar. He was a Colonel of cavalry, was wounded at the second battle of Newbury, on 27th of October 1644, and died within a week afterwards at Marlborough. His property in Thurnham had previously been taken from him - it was sequestered in 1642-3 - on account of his "delinquency." With respect to his seven sisters, some or all who resided for a time at Aldcliffe Hall, near Lancaster. Their names were Margaret, Elizabeth, Jane, Ellen, Dorothy, Katherine and Phillpia. They were very firm believers in the Roman Catholic faith; and it is said that Aldclitfe Hall was, when the Dalton sisters were in it, designated the "home of the Catholic Virgins. Two-thirds of their property at Aldcliffe was sequestered for "recusancy." In 1653-4 they petitioned for permission to "contract jointly for the redemption of their interests, and in the Record Office there is a certificate, dated 11 May, 1655. signed by Saubeny Williams, "showing that he had searched the books in his custody relating to Lancashire, Middlesex, and London, and found no conviction against Margaret Dalton or her sisters."

The property referred to was afterwards leased from the Lancashire Commissioners to one of the sisters (Margaret) for seven years, at £40 a years. Through the marriage of Elizabeth Dalton (daughter and co-heiress of Robert Dalton, who was a descendant of the fore-named Robert, and died in 1704 with William Houghton, of Park Mall, in the parish of Standish, the Dalton property passed, in 1710, to their eldest son John, who took the surname and arms of Dalton of Thurnham Hall, a mansion built in the time of Queen Mary, was of course included in the property which he inherited, and he took up his residence in it. In 1715, when the Scotch Rebels reached Lancaster on their southward march, John Dalton, of Thurnham Hall, along with some friends, joined them. Tradition also says that when he arrived he found his wife at the rear of the Hall gathering kindling wood. He recovered his confiscated property by the payment to the Governet.

This is a rear view of Thurnham Hall.
If you look at the stone walls it will show the additions over the years the Dalton’s lived there.

Another article on the Dalton family at Thurnham Hall:
Kellys Directory of 1924 tells us that John Henry Dalton was resident at Thurnham Hall, which was then described as "a large and ancient Castellated mansion, pleasantly seated, and has been for many years the seat of the Dalton's, one of the most powerful of the families connected with the hundred of Lonsdale; it has a superb domestic chapel, erected in 1866, with a turret on the south side containing one bell." The front elevation of the hall which is terminated on each side with small turrets, and a large central entrance hall, was re-built between 1823 and 1825, but by 1900 the hall was described as being in a semi- ruinous state. In 1959 a fire gutted the building which was not restored until 1973. The hall was further restored in 1992, firstly becoming a country club, and subsequently in 2002 the hall was converted into timeshare apartments.

In 1715, when the Scotch Rebels reached Lancaster on their southward march, John Dalton, of Thurnham Hall, along with some friends, joined them. After the Rebels laid down their arms at Preston, he, with others, was sent to London, kept in confinement there for a time, and then tried for having participated in the Rebellion. He was found guilty, but, as the part he had taken in the revolt was not of a very serious character, the sentence did not involve capital punishment: his landed property was forfeited to the King, and he was imprisoned for a considerable time, It is said that, when liberated, he walked all the way back to Thurnham! Tradition also says that when he arrived he found his wife at the rear of the Hall, gathering kindling wood. He recovered his confiscated property by the payment of £6,000 to the Government.

Originally, Thurnham Hall had a picturesque, antiquely-effective front, which included mullioned windows and massive bays, with a large tower-flanked courtyard, and an exterior connecting curtain wall; but in 1823 the then Squire of Thurnham (John, son of Robert Dalton) took down this front, and put in its place the present facade, a facade of the ashler kind, having a castellated parapet with small flanking turrets, and a large, projecting, castellated porch, containing in carved stone, above the door, the arms of the Daltons impaling those of the Gages, and surmounted by the crests of the two families (John Dalton married one of the daughters of Sir Thomas Gage). The hall stands pleasantly on a moderate eminence, and commands a finely-varied view, a view which embraces the fertile marsh lands below Glasson, portions of the winding, silvery Lune, the broad, light-hued bay of Morecambe, and several of the mountains which fill in with a grand sweep the north-western horizon.

John Dalton was a well-known figure in Preston, amongst Roman Catholics particularly; and he had a residence in the town. He lived for a time at Avenham House, and subsequently, about 1804, he built a house on the eastside of Winckley-square (the present No. 8), and occupied it periodically for a while. But his principal residence was Thurnham Hall. He was, of course, in the habit of putting in an appearance at Lancaster, where he had property. One of the public squares in Lancaster bears his surname; an adjoining thoroughfare takes his Christian name; several adjacent streets, made or improved in his time, have had applied to them the names of members of his family, etc., and one has the maiden surname of his wife. In the square referred to, the annual show of the Lancaster Agricultural Society was held for several years in the first half of the present century. Some of the prizes offered by the Society were of a rather curious character: for instance, at the show in 1803 a premium was offered to the married couple who had brought up the greatest number of their own children, and it was awarded to William Warbrick and his wife, of Torrisholme, who had brought up a family of 15. In 1837 Mr. Dalton died. Miss Elizabeth Dalton, his daughter, resided at Thurnham Hall for many years: she was the “last lineal member of the family bearing the name of Dalton,” and died at Thurnham Hall in 1851, aged 81 years.

After her death the estate went to Sir James George Fitzgerald, Bart., of Castle Ishen, County Cork, a grandson of Sir James Fitzgerald, who married Bridget Ann, daughter of Mr. Robert Dalton, of Thurnham Hall, by his third wife Bridget More, of Barnborough Hall, Yorkshire, “the heiress and last lineal descendant of the once famous Chancellor Sir Thomas More” On the death of Sir James George Fitzgerald, without issue, in 1868, Sir Gerald Fitzgerald succeeded to the Dalton property.

The entrance hall of the mansion is very spacious, and over its fireplace there are the commingled armorial bearings of the Dalton, Fleming, and Middleton families. On one side of the entrance hall is the dining room, and on the other side the library. Above, approached by an oak staircase, there is the drawing room, the proportions of which are 39ft. by 24ft. There is no furniture in the hall now. Up to the time of Miss Dalton’s death, it contained a full complement of furniture, also a fine collection of family portraits, as well as a painting of Cockersand Abbey chapter house, by Sir Thomas Gage. bart.

In Thurnham Hall there a priest's hiding place, which was apparently made some time after the erection of the general building. A blocked-up doorway, leading to a room on one side of which the secret place is directly located, was at a comparatively recent date discovered. Originally this room was an open one, or easy of access, consequently unsuitable for immediate contiguity to any hiding quarters, and obviously pointing to the making of this place of concealment at a time subsequent to the building of the Hall. The hiding place is in the second story of the Hall, north side, and it was discovered accidentally.

Thurnham Hall- June 2003

On the same floor, immediately adjoining, towards the south side, there is what may have been a parlour, in one corner of which there is a door way leading to an apartment somewhat resembling a small sitting-room; and it was whilst certain repairs or alterations were being made in the Hall that curiosity was exited as to what might be behind the western wall of this small room. The paper on the wallpaper of a highly ornamental pattern was torn off; a bricked-up, stone-bordered doorway at one end of the wall was then noticed; the bricks were knocked out; and complete darkness prevailed beyond. On a light being obtained, the space beyond was found to be a room, about 8ft. by 6ft. in size, on one side of which, within the wall, a priest’s hiding place, about 6ft. high and a foot and a half square, was afterwards discovered; the entrance to it being by a square opening about 4ft from the floor, and capable of being closed by means of a stone slab moving on a pivot. Owing to the peculiarity of the aperture, entrance had to be effected on the "feet foremost” plan. It was also found that the adjoining room giving access to the opening of the hiding-place could be only entered when the doorway was blocked up, by a trap-door in the floor above, which floor was got to from the outside, through the roof leads.

It has not transpired that there was ever any necessity felt at Thurnham Hall to actually secrete a priest in the hiding place.

The Dalton’s of Thurnham were landowners in Lancaster as well. There is a Dalton Square. A Mary Street and a Frances Street named after Dalton’s.

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The Story of Thurnham Church - by Father Bernard Shuttleworth, former Parish Priest at Thurnham.

The Parish was founded in 1785 with Fr James Foster as Parish Priest. Previously the district was served by travelling priests who usually stayed with the Dalton Family at Thurnham Hall. The first named of these priests was a Rev. North who lived at the end of the sixteenth century. However, the most famous was a Rev. James Swarbrick who was well known as 'The Riding Priest'. He was arrested in 1715 and taken to Lancaster Castle where he was condemned as a priest. A few days before he was due to be executed the old man died in prison in 1716, possibly as the result of torture. We still have the little chalice he carried on his travels.

The Dalton Family lived mostly away from Thurnham. In their absences the district was visited occasionally by priests from various places. While the threat to the lives of priests was still real, their comings and goings were in some secrecy. Meanwhile the Hall was rented to a Valentine Family who used the place as a farm, and the Dalton's lived in the south.

In 1780 a Miss Jane Daniel of Euxton died. She had become interested in Thurnham through her cousin, Fr James Foster who served this area for some time. Miss Daniel left a bequest for £1,000 to maintain a priest in the Thurnham district. She requested that Mr. Dalton make an annual payment for the priest or 'grant a house and a bit of land'. So, it was in 1785 that Mr Dalton granted the customary seven acres (the 'glebe') for the priest's maintenance, and a plot of land for a house. Later Mr Dalton often joked with Fr Foster that the land 'was not enough to feed a cow, but enough to starve one'. It had been Miss Daniel's wish that Fr Foster be appointed as the first Parish Priest, and this was done, (see the commemorative plaque in the church).He was born in 1747 at Ashton Hall, which his father farmed. For the first three years he resided in Lancaster while the Hall was still used as a farmhouse. Mass was still offered in a front room at the Hall. Then one Sunday just as the congregation was leaving, the ceiling in the room fell down. In consequence the whole place was examined and found to be in poor condition. Mr Dalton, now living in Bath, wrote to Fr Foster and requested that he have the whole place demolished, but Fr Foster refused to do this. It seems that Mr Dalton then reluctantly renovated the Hall. It is not clear, but it may have been the intention of Mr Dalton to rebuild after the old Hall had been pulled down.

Fr Foster had opened a Building Fund with the intention of building a house and a chapel. Even after adding money of his own he had only £797-4s-0d (£797.20), but he began the work and managed to build the house, which meant he, or his successors, could live within the parish. However, only the shell of the chapel was completed before the money ran out and there was a debt of some £555-10s-3d (£555.51). The building of the chapel was halted temporarily to prevent further debt. The house was opened in 1802, with a Ball as a house-warming, to which the local gentry were invited.

For the next sixteen years Fr Foster worked to gather the money to finish his chapel. Mr John Dalton now resided at the renovated Hall. He, together with Mr Robert Gillow (who had recently built the house, Clifton Hill, at Forton) and Mr Richard Worswick, of Ellel Grange, agreed to pay £50 each towards the new chapel, on condition they were excused rents for their family pews! This £150 was soon spent and Fr Foster appealed again to the three men. Mr Dalton refused a further contribution, but the other two defrayed the remaining costs. Then in 1818 the little chapel was finally blessed and opened. Fr Foster acquired vestments costing £4-9s-4d (£4.47), and a chalice for £5.00. The total cost of the chapel and furnishings was around £1,600.

The Duke of Hamilton resided at Ashton Hall and Fr Foster was often a guest there, using the same room where he had been born. He was Parish Priest at Thurnham for 38 years and died on 17th. February 1824 aged 77. He was buried outside his little chapel, but his grave is now beneath the present church, somewhere under the pillar opposite the plaque. His funeral was attended by Rev. George Brown (later the first Bishop of Liverpool) and Rev. Doctor Lingard, the historian and Parish Priest at Hornby. [ Lingard's History of England was the first substantial history written in a critical manner with reference to original documents.lt is still considered an important work. He wrote other acclaimed books which are consulted. Perhaps the composition best known to us is the hymn, 'Hail, Queen of Heaven', but our version is inaccurate in so far as where we have, in the last line, 'Wanderer', he wrote, 'Pilgrim' which has much greater meaning. He took a very active part in the establishment of Ushaw, -although it seems he could be a 'thorn' in the side of authorities!- with an obstinacy for what he thought to be right. He died in 1851 and is buried at Ushaw].

Fr Foster's successor was Fr Thomas Crowe, who was born near Liverpool but brought up in Preston and educated at Ushaw. He was appointed to Croston but had sometimes assisted Fr Foster. In 1824 he was appointed to Thurnham. At this time the drive past the Church was altered giving a small addition to the parish land.

In 1837 Mr Dalton died at the age of 90. He and Fr Crowe were good friends. In his will Mr Dalton bequeathed £200 towards the building- of a new church, which Fr Crowe planned. There was also £200 to the priest's maintenance and £200 for the partial endowment of a school.

Miss Elizabeth Dalton succeeded to the Hall and Estate. In 1840 the Building Fund totaled a mere £700. Fr Crowe borrowed money and invested £1,000 in Railway Stock which, by 1847 made a profit of £274 when sold. Then Miss Dalton offered to defray the cost of building, and the offer was accepted gladly, and the Fund's £989 handed over to her. On March 1st. 1847 Mass was said for the last time in Fr Foster's chapel which was demolished. At this time Fr Crowe left Thurnham and was succeeded by a Fr Shepherd who organized the consecration and opening of the new church. When the foundation-stone was laid on 18th. March the church was named St Thomas the Apostle, - it seems that a disagreement over the name caused the defection of Fr Crowe! The new church was consecrated on 29th. August 1848 and opened the following day.

The Tablet printed a full report of the consecration and the opening. On the day of consecration only one person was allowed inside the building. Bishop Browne (Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire District) went round the outside of the building to bless the walls. He then knocked once, twice and three times before he was admitted, as was the custom of the ritual. Then the bells were rung and Mass was said for the first time in the new church.

The opening took place the following day when the congregation gathered at the Hall. The procession came along the drive and included, a cross bearer flanked by two acolytes, banner of our Lady carried by a girl in white accompanied by two other girls and 20 girls dressed in white. Then came female singers, banner of the Cross carried by a boy with two attendants, more boys in capes, men singers, altar boys then the clergy. There were three Bishops, Browne, Briggs and Sharpies. In the morning Mass was said and in the evening there was Benediction. Among the laity were Miss Dalton, Lady Fitzgerald, the Gillows, Brockholes and others of the local gentry. After Mass they all retired to the Hall to 'enjoy the hospitality of Miss Dalton '.

Apparently the money was beginning to run out before the building was finished, which meant the latter parts were not a carefully done as the beginnings. The spire was pulled down at least once because it was twisted, and rebuilt. The stone for the building came from Dalton's quarry near Lancaster.

The architect was Charles Hanson who had designed many churches in the north of England (including St Walburga's in Preston), The builder was George Taylor of Coventry. One wonders why a local builder was not employed, and why does the builder deserve a mention on the brass plate in the church when benefactors such as Gillows and Worswicks are not mentioned!

Although she did not ask for the privilege, Miss Dalton was given the little door in the west wall (near the statue of St Therese of Lisieux) as her private entrance.

The completed church cost, with furnishings, £5,000. Miss Dalton gave a large ciborium, which Cardinal Wisemn acquired for her in London (cost £50). Miss Gillow gave a monstrance (designed by A.W. Pugin, an cost £70). Mr T.F. Brockholes gave a richly enameled chalice. The statues of St Thomas and St Elizabeth at the sides of the High Altar commemorate Fr Crowe and Miss Dalton. Miss Dalton appears again in the Lady Chapel window as does Mr John Dalton who was the great benefactor of the parish. (It is interesting that in the Lady Chapel window, Miss Dalton is holding a church in her hands, but it is not this church. There is a family resemblance between Miss Elizabeth Dalton and Miss Alzeira Dalton who died 30th. May 1983)

Relatives and friends of the Dalton Family appear in all the stained glass windows. But there is never any mention of Miss Jane Daniel or Fr James Foster, to both of whom we owe the idea of founding the parish in the first place!

The BELLS. These were founded by John Taylor of Loughborough. I'm told they were the first set he founded after setting up business on his own, and he was quite proud of them!

There are five bells each with an inscription in Latin.

i) O Pure, Holy Virgin Mary, protect those whom I call,

ii) Hail Mary, full of grace.

iii)May this sound be pleasing to thee O Christ, King of the Heavens,

iv)St Elizabeth, pray for us.

v) St Thomas, pray for us.

The 'Angelus' was rung automatically three times each day. The mechanism is by Meeyer of Bristol (this mechanism is still in the belfry but rusted and with parts missing!).The bells are now discontinued because of a serious fault. Part of the main supporting beam has rotted (it rests on a stone ledge), and the whole structure has, in consequence, shifted.

The PAINTING above the arch over the Rood-screen is by H. Doyle of London. It is of the Last Judgement, and is the first of it kind in a Catholic Church since the Reformation!

The ROODSCREEN. Perhaps people don't realise that we are fortunate to have a real Roodscreen. A true Roodscreen is one with a representation of the Crucifixion surmounting it. To be absolutely accurate, the word 'Rood' means 'Cross'- (e.g. Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh means “Holy Cross Palace”). In some churches there is a screen without the Cross, and such is not strictly a Roodscreen. The screen (or Roodscreen) divides the altar area from the main body of the church. Think of the Temple in Jerusalem, remember the inner place was called the Holy of Holies because it was there that the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It was God's special place. A curtain separated this from the public area. The screen serves the same purpose.

The STAINED GLASS was by Walles of Newcastle-on-Tyne, from designs by the architect.

The ALTAR and CARVINGS are by Myers of London. BRASS and GOLDSMITH WORK by Hardman of Birmingham.

The plaque commemorating Fr Foster reads in Latin: 'The remains of James Foster, Priest, who after 40 years as Pastor here, piously died in the year of Christ 1824 on 17th. February.'

The Egyptian style building outside the main door is a Mausoleum for the GILLOW Family, it was built in the 1830s while the family were in residence at Forton. When they moved to Leighton Hall, Warton, near Carnforth, they built another crypt at Yealand Church.

The YEW TREE in the grounds has an inscription, 'This tree was planted in celebration of Peace after the Great War, July 19th, 1919.'

The STONE CROSS outside the church came from Cockersands Abbey which was founded in the reign of Richard 1st (1157-1199, King from 1189, The Lion Heart). The Abbey was Premonstratensian, a strict order of Augustinian monks. Only the Chapter House of the Abbey survives.

Miss ALZEIRA ELOISE DALTON sold the Hall in the late '60s and went to live in the two cottages just inside the gates, which she made into one for herself. The Crabtree Family bought the Hall and did a wonderful job in renovating it. It was opened to the public as a Historic House till the lat 80s when it was sold again and became a Time-Share establishment. Miss ALZEIRA was proud of the fact that the Dalton family were related by marriage to St Thomas More's Family. She and other Dalton's were at the Canonisation in 1936, although they were not Catholic.

After Elizabeth died in 1861 (aged 81), the estate (but not the Hall) went to the Fitzgerald family, who called themselves Dalton-Fitzgerald. That family died out by the end of the Century, then the Elizabeth's nephew, who should have inherited after her, returned from South America with his family and claimed the estate. The Hall had not been occupied since Elizabeth died.

When Fr Crowe was encouraged to leave Thurnham it was because of a disagreement between himself, Elizabeth Dalton and her chaplain, Fr Shepherd, a Benedictine. He gives the impression of being a 'know-all'! Even before ordination he seems to have been something of a rebel. He was involved with the founding of Prior Park, but then had to leave that college after ordination, and went into retirement. He emerged to become Miss Dalton's chaplain, and after the row with Fr Crowe he became Parish Priest in 1848, but only till 1852 when he returned to Ampleforth. Again in 1855 he came out of 'retirement' and once again was chaplain to Miss Dalton. After her death he was bequeathed a rather large sum of money, a fact which did not go down well with the local folks! He left Thurnham and flitted from place to place before his death in 1896 aged 83.

The Consecration and Opening of St Thomas & St. Elizabeth, was reported in 'The Tablet' (9 September 1848).

The report opens with a detailed description of the building inside and outside. The description of the windows mentions some of the saints illustrated in particular the patron saints of Miss Dalton's parents, St. John and St. Etheldreda, with the parents' arms beneath. The report claims that in the centre window is a portrait of Elizabeth holding 'this church' as an offering to our Lady, but a quick glance nullifies this statement as the church depicted is not this one! The panels over the chancel (altar area) have the arms of the then Pope and his predecessor as well as those of Miss Dalton, and various Bishops of the time.

Of the churchyard the report states, 'is laid out with much picturesque beauty and effect, being covered with soft grassy turf, and planted with poplars, box and yew trees, those venerable appurtenances of 'the field of the dead,' shady lanes and serpentine walks lead from the sacred edifice to the Hall. The situation, from its silence and retirement amidst the deep woods which surround Thurnham Hall, is admirably adapted for contemplation and prayer.'

The consecration was on the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, by the Rt Rev. Vicar-Apostolic of the Lancashire District. According to the rite the Deacon was alone in the church while the procession blessed the outside walls. When the Bishop knocked to gain entrance he was refused several times before the Deacon opened the doors. Each part of the inside was anointed. It was, seemingly, a fine day and the sunshine streamed through the windows. Holy Mass was then offered. Meanwhile the bells were rung for the first time. In addition to the Angelus, the automated chimes rang the -tune of a hymn, 'Hark the Vesper Hymn is stealing'.

The solemn opening of the church was the following day, Wednesday 30th. August. The day was pleasant as the procession left from Thurnham Hall and along the drive with the new church bells already ringing. Bishops, priests and laity joined in the hymns. The procession was led by the Thurifer then Cross-bearer; banner of the Blessed Virgin with twenty young girls in caps and white veils; female singers; banner of the Cross, boys in cloaks and guild-crosses; Tenor and Bass singers; boys in surplices; Clergy in cap and surplice; Clergy in copes; Bishop Sharples and Chaplain; Bishop Briggs and Chaplain; Subdeacon of the Mass; Deacon; Assistant Priest, Dreacons at the throne (for Bishop Brown, the celebrant who followed last); then came the clergy (including two priests named Gillow), twenty in all; finally came the laity with Miss Dalton heading their procession which included Gillows, Brockholes and Fitzgeralds. Bishop Brown celebrated the Mass and the Sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. English who took as his text, 'Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ' (I Peter 2/5). The music was mostly from Mozart and Haydn with 'O Salutaris' and 'O Jesu' at the Offertory and Elevation.

Later in the day Benediction was celebrated, at which Rev. George Gillow preached on the Real Presence using a text 1 Paralipomenon 15/28.

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Listed below is some Dalton place names that should be mentioned in the history of our Dalton’s in Lancashire Co. and Yorkshire Co.

“Dalton Hall”, in East Riding of Yorkshire; Roger Dalton, son of Rychard Dalton of Croston, is described in Flowers pedigree as “of Dalton Hall in Yorkshyre and after Croston”.

South Dalton township contains 1,844 acres of land, situated on the eastern slope of the Wolds, about five-and-a-half miles northwest of Beverley. The soil is partly clay and partly chalk, the subsoil chalk, and the scenery in many places highly picturesque. The total value of the assessed property is £2,879, and the number of inhabitants in 1891 was 242. Lord Hotham is lord of the manor and owner of the whole township, with the exception of 38 acres of glebe.

South Dalton, in the time of the Heptarchy, was a royal demesne, and the kings of Northumbria are said to have had a residence here. King Osred, in 730 (the year before his assassination on the banks of Windermere), gave the manor to the collegiate church of St. John, of Beverley, and the provost had a country residence here - " a prati house," as Leland calls it - till the dissolution of monasteries. Domesday Book says there were "twelve carucates, and six ploughs to be taxed. Archbishop Eldred held this for one manor. St. John now has in the demesne one plough and twelve villanes with seven ploughs. The whole is one mile and a half broad. Value in King Edward's time four pounds; at present 40 shillings." In 1272 the men of Dalton had encroached on the highway between Lockington and Dalton, and a chalk to indicate the limit of their township was made between the field of Holme and the field of Lockington. In 1314, the provost of Beverley had a grant of free warren in South Dalton from Edward II. The manor continued in the possession of its ecclesiastical owners till the Reformation, when its annual value was returned at £36. In 1552 it was granted, by letters patent, to Francis Aslaby, and it remained in the possession of his descendants for about 120 years. Some time previous to 1689, it had passed to the Hothams, to whom it still belongs.

Dalton Hall, in Westmorland; Up until 1894, this Manor was included in the county of

Lancashire. It is mentioned as being among the estates of the first Sir John Dalton, grandson of Sir Rychard of Byspham, who died in 1369.

The Township of Dalton, which in the balmy days of the Abbey of Furness was the capital of all Furness and North Lonsdale; but its importance, has passed away with its patrons the good abbots. The situation is lofty, standing upon a rocky elevation facing the east, consisting principally of one street terminating on the summit, upon which is the square tower so much a subject of inquiry among the antiquaries, called Dalton Tower, once the court-house of the abbots of Furness. The parish of Dalton is large, being ten miles long by four broad, it includes the island of Walney and the Pile of Fouldrey, with all the lesser isles upon the south and west of Lower Furness. The modern church stands near the tower above mentioned, and is a plain edifice, on the site of an aged predecessor, situated upon the side of the hill, and supposed to be within the limits of what was once the court of a castle.

Croston, in Lancashire, is a village about 10 miles north of the original family Manor of Byspham. Land in Croston first came into the Dalton Family in about 1450. Rychard of Byspham, “son and heir to Robert of Bispayne” is described as “of Croston”. In the Church at Croston, above the arched doorway, among others is a shield showing Dalton quartering Fleming. Rychard married the daughter of Sir William Fleming.

Croston Hall was located in the ancient village of Croston, Lancashire County, England, just three miles from the ancient village of Bispham, the first documented home of our Norman Daltons. The Manor of Croston reportedly existed in the 12th Century. It was small and consisted of 10 plough lands and 6 oxgangs of land given by Roger de Montbegon, to his half brother, John Malhby, "to be held by Knight's fee.

By1300, the Manor of Croston had descended to the two daughters and co-heirs of one, John de la Mare and for nearly 600 years the manor of Croston descended in two distinct lines. One line was from the Flemings of Wath, the Daltons and the Heskeths of Rufford to Thomas Norris. The other line descended through the de Leas, and the Ashtons, to the de Traffords when in the 18th century, John, the fourth son of Cecil de Trafford married Anne, co-heiress and daughter of Richard Ashton.

Millicent V. CRAIG of the DGS Web Page contributes the following:

The County Records Office of Preston contains an inventory of one, Thomas Ashton, Squire of 1632, occupant of the Manor of Croston. The total value of his goods was 128 pounds. There were 6 horses, 4 heifers, 14 hens and 9 beds belonging to him. The remainder of his property consisted of a watch valued at 3 pounds, clock and bell 4 pounds, and clothing 13 pounds.

The Manor may have lasted until the 17th Century. It supposedly contained secret hiding places for priests and a secluded chapel, since the de Trafford line remained staunch Catholics. A new Hall was built in the 17th century and 1793 built a new Chapel used by Catholics as a wing onto this Hall.

In 1850 Lady Adelaide Cathcart of Wast, third daughter to the Earl of Cathcart and a former Governor General of Canada, married John Randolphus de Trafford. She brought a substantial dowry to the estate and in 1852 her husband inherited more land in the Croston area. They demolished the second Hall and built an elaborate Hall in 1854. The famed architect, Pugin, designed it. Twenty years later, in 1874, Squire de Trafford purchased the other portion of the Croston estate from the trustees of the Norris estate. The transfer was made very quietly and when the Daltons learned of the sale they claimed that their ownership rights had been ignored. For the first time in over 600 years the Croston estate was under one owner, the de Trafford family.

The Hall, an architectural masterpiece, was impossible to heat or to keep in repair. It had passed down to the last two heirs, Squire Geoffrey de Trafford and his sister Ermyntrude. A serious fire damaged the Hall in 1938 and it was rebuilt. In 1958, he bequeathed the estate to the Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool. The Squire died in 1950, and his sister died in 1964. During the last years of her life she was confined to a single, drafty room. When the Archdiocese received no offers to purchase and repair the Hall, it was sold to the Ainscough family who immediately razed it without giving notice to the town. By chance, one of our Dalton's, Derek of Parbold, was passing by the estate on the morning that the demolition began. He was aghast at the destruction; beautiful stained glass windows and ornate hand-carved decorations were being heaped onto a huge bonfire. By appealing to the gate guards ego with the offer to take his picture, Derek was able to capture the destruction on film and he rescued a few small pieces of ornamentation. It is ironic indeed that the only existing remnants of the Hall are back in the hands of a dispossessed Dalton descendant.

References to the actual occupation of Croston Hall may be seen in the Dalton Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. I, Chart I. In the Dalton pedigree there is:
1- Richard Dalton of Croston Hall, son and heyr to Robert Dalton. Married the daughter of Sir William Fleming of Wath in Yorkshire.

2- Roger Dalton (son of Rychard Dalton) and of Dalton Hall in Yorkshire and after of Croston. (Richard had two sons in his four marriages:

William Dalton of Byspham who fathered the Thurnham line, and Laurence Dalton, Norroy-King-at Arms.

Over time, Dalton's married into the Hesketh Family and the first Dalton marriage to a Norris took place in the 13th century in Yorkshire. For an interesting read click on to Le Norreys (Norris) and you will find that the place names and those of friends are familiar to you if you have already read "The Dalton Book, Part I". The Dalton and Norris paths crossed many times during the centuries.

Source notes:
References to the Fleming/Dalton/Hesketh/Norris owership of Croston Hall are contained in the booklet, "A History of the de Trafford Family and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Croston" written by Frances Ramsden in 1986.

In the village of Hoghton, near Preston, Lancashire is the Hoghton Tower, the ancestral home of the Hoghton family. The Dalton’s of Thurnham married into this family when Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Robert Dalton 3^rd married William Hoghton, Esq., of Park Hall, a grandson of Sir Richard Hoghton of Hoghton Tower in 1683. Robert Dalton 3^rd, had no male heir and John Hoghton, son of Elizabeth and William, in 1710 took the name and arms of Dalton and took residence at Thurnham Hall.

Some more history of Hoghton Tower:
Situated between Blackburn & Preston the name is that of the family who dominated the area since William the Conqueror came to power. The de Hoghton baronetcy is the second oldest in England. The word Hoghton means "township at the bottom of the hill". The churchyard of the Holy Trinity church has a number of the de Hoghton graves as well as that of Mr. Gatty who invented khaki dye used in military uniforms around the world. Past the Boars Head pub are a number of cottages called "The Barracks". These were used by Cromwellian troops in 1651. The priest St. Edmond Arrowsmith said his last mass before being arrested at a white-stone house in the village. The sideboard, which he used for mass is now the altar at St. Joseph's Church. The village is best known for it's famous Towers built by Thomas de Hoghton in 1565. The fortified manor house is difficult to see from most angles, as it sits on top of a heavily wooded hilltop.

The story goes that in 1617, King James I while staying at the tower, was so impressed with the loin of beef he was served here, that after a few drinks he took his sword and knighted the meat thereby giving the name to sirloin steak! To remember the event the local pub was renamed "The Sirloin" and still goes by that name today. Sir Richard de Hoghton was forced to entertain the King for three days at great expense. Unfortunately this left him penniless and he was sent to prison due to his debts.

Source: Lancaster Online Web Page.

Here then is our Dalton Family Pedigree starting with Le Sieur de Dalton:
This pedigree has been put together from research by Rodney Dalton and many others and must be proven to be correct by future research by other Dalton family members. This pedigree is my direct line and starts with Le Sieur de Dalton who is number 1 and stops at my grandson, Jason Dalton-Welsh at number 29. That turns out to be about 855 years of Dalton history. Notice that all these names are highlighted in blue.

The Pedigree of the Dalton Family as compiled from these sources:

1- The Harleian Manuscript.

2- The Lansdown Manuscript.

3- William Flower; “The Visitation of Yorkshire”

4- Mrs. Frances Edith Dalton Leaning; The “Dalton Book”

5- The Dalton Genealogical Society of England.

6- John Luther Dalton.

7- The Dalton Family Research Group of Utah.

8- The “John Dalton Book of Genealogy” by Mark Ardath Dalton

There is a difference of option on some on these earlier Dalton birth & death dates by members of the Dalton Family Research Group. This is due to each one’s interruption of the various sources from which they were taken. I will leave it up to the reader to agree or disagree if the dates are correct or not in the first 13 generations.

The most importation thing is that most of us agree that the pedigree is correct. Remember it was about 900 years ago when “Old Le Sieur de Dalton” was living upon this earth. It would be nice if the dates could be verified, but that’s impossible.

Also of note is that in all the below text there is some old English spelling that is imposable to correct and I have not attempted to do so because its fun to see how the writing and spelling were put down in the early days. Notice also that some of the English money signs are left as is because I just don’t how to correct them.

So lets now start my Dalton pedigree, listing Le Sieur de Dalton as generation number one.

Next will start the history of my Dalton family as i know it. Remember i have told you that there may be a few more generations of this Dalton family back further that this Le Sieur de Dalton.

1- LE SIEUR de DALTON, was born sometime about 1125 and died about 1190 when his second son Symon was mentioned in a deed in 1190. He is said to have had three sons:

(1) John de Dalton of Dalton and Byspham. (our line)

(2) Symon de Dalton mentioned in a deed, 1190

(3) Philip de Dalton

Note: There is another Dalton family tradition that tells us that this first Dalton was named Walter and he married Jane, the daughter of the King of France and they then had to flee the country. It is believed that after living in England, he went to Ireland and started the Irish de D’Alton’s. He supposedly had another son named Phillip.

Another source of the founder of our Dalton Family has been recently been put up on the Internet.

The below was copied from Andy Leaming’s web page:

Source: http://www.leaning-net.co.uk/content/aboutme.htm

My branch of the Leaning has been reliably traced back to the 1100s, with the Leaning name reaching back to 1891 with the birth of Ambrey Rupert Sydney Leaning who later married the daughter of William Herbert Dalton.

Ancestral history from there, chiefly from The Dalton Genealogical Society and from the Dalton Book Part 1 by Francis Sydney Leaning (my great grandmother) reveals an unbroken line back through time to approximately 1088 with the birth of Walter de D’Aliton.

Of note is there has always been a conflict of when when Le Sieur de Dalton was born. Some say as early as 1088 while others say about 1125.

Norman and Plantagenet Background:

Walter de D’Aliton is believed to have come from Hauteville, Normandy, France.

He settled in Lancashire and later returned to France on behalf of the last Norman King of England, King Stephen, to meet with the future King, Henry II, (the first Plantagenet King of England and now regarded as the greatest of all the medieval Kings) prior to his return to England in 1154. He was also with King Henry II during his invasion of Ireland in 1171. There is a tale that after completing official business in France, Walter had a brief affair with and possibly even secretly marrying the daughter of King Louis VII of France, but this has not been reliably confirmed.

Later, as a reward to services to King Henry II, Walter was given lands in Lancashire in the town of Dale-Ton (meaning little town in the dale), his name becoming Le Sieur de Dalton (the translation of Le Sieur being 'Mister', 'de' being 'of'). Up to this point, surnames where not used in England and so names where taken from place names.

From here, the family line makes its way through the middle ages, with family figures directly involved in the many of the key events that shaped England, and some dubious events of their own.

Source: Andy Leaning.

2- JOHN de DALTON I, the first son of Le Sieur de Dalton was born about 1155 and was granted the Manors of Dalton and Byspham in Lancashire. And whose son was named:

1. John. (our line)

Note: My reasoning for this birth date on John is because if Le Sieur de Dalton was fighting with King Henry, then he wouldn’t have a wife with him. He must have married her after he settled in Lancashire.

3- JOHN de DALTON II,the son of John de Dalton I was born about 1175 and is mentioned in a deed, 1193.

And who's sons:

1. Richard. (our line)

2. John

Another tradition says that three brothers, sons of John, went to the Crusades in the late 1100's. One of them, Sir Richard Dalton, killed a Saracen in the Holy Land and was given the green Griffen on the crest of the coat of arms, which the family carried for their services to King Richard. The description of the shield is: a silver Lion Rampant Guardant on an azure shield with gold crosslets. In the Heraldic language it is a shield azure propre, or crussely, a lion, rampant, guardant, argant and the crest is a dragon's head vert, between two wings.

Source:
A lecture/talk given by the late Dr. Lucy Joan Slater, Editor and Secretary, Dalton Genealogical Society, Cambridge, England.

4- SIR RICHARD DALTON I, the first son John de Dalton II was born before 1200, and who’s sons were:

1. Richard II (our line)

2. William

This Sir Richard Dalton, who was a Knight in the Crusades and is said to have killed a Saracen in the Holy Land.

The Crusades:

As Islam spread after its inception in the 7th century C.E., the lands held sacred by Christians fell under Moslem rule. The pope, Urban II, in 1095 C.E. began the pursuit of reconquering these former Christian lands (particularly Jerusalem), by visiting areas in Western Europe and preaching the need for a "crusade" against the infidels.

Many nobles and knights went on crusade with the hope of not only reconquering the holyland, but of carving out for themselves fiefs and kingdoms in this land of "milk and honey". The first leaders to "take the cross" succeeded in retaking Jerusalem in 1096. After this initial venture, there followed subsequent crusades which attempted to free Jerusalem again, but none succeeded like the first crusade. Throughout the next two hundred years the battle for Jerusalem between Islam and Christianity continued, with one side gaining ground just to lose it again to the other. Ultimately, Jerusalem fell to the Moslems in 1244 not to be regained by Christians again during the Middle Ages.

In the end the resources needed and the crusading ideal itself fell short of Pope Urban II's dream of a united Christian holy land. Later crusades were directed not at Islam, but at Constantinople, pagan peoples of Eastern Europe, and heretics in France, among others.

Although some critics are quick to write off the crusades as an exercise in futility and exacerbating religious strife between Islam and Christianity, the cultural interaction that developed as a result of the crusades broadened the cultural horizons of medieval Europeans. This exposure to Eastern culture encouraged the development of new forms of scientific study and allowed access to previously unknown classical literature, thus facilitating the humanist movement of the Renaissance period.

From the crusades also sprouted the military orders, such as the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Teutonic Knights. These "fighting monks" became well organized armed forces, and accrued large sums of money from the management of lands they conquered, or given to them for the Christian cause.

Note: Sir Richard Dalton probably had a second son named William. Below are items recently found at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah. Book - 942 R2c Vol. 1 pages 503 & 635.

There is also mention of a few other Dalton names that are not shown in our pedigree, but is in the right time and place that our Sir Richard is in.

FILE - Swinburne Manuscript Vol. 1 - date: 12-17th Centuries

Item: Quitclaim - date: 22 July 1284

Witnessed by Master Adam de Denom, William de Dalton, Thomas de Blye, Hugh de Welpington, Robert de Farnylaw, William the Clerk of Herl, and others interested in this quitclaim

From the Calender of Inquisitions Miscellaneous (Chancery)

No.1836 - Writ of privy seal to the sheriff and coroners of Lancaster to enquire whether Benedict son of John de Dalton killed John his brother by misadventure.

Carlaverok. 31 August 28 Edward I. (1300) Patent Roll Calendar, page 569. C. Inq. Misc. File 59.

Inquisition in full county of Lancaster. Monday after Michaelmas 28 Edward 1 (26 September 1300].

On Monday before St. Bartholomew two years ago [18 August 1298], John son of Willy de Dalton entertained strangers to food and drink as at a tavern in a place apart from their home (distanti a domo focali) in which Benet son of John son of Willy stayed throughout this Monday. At twilight a stranger, by name Adam son of William de Manne came to the house of John son of Willy and as a result of some words a quarrel arose between Adam and Benet son of John. Benet desired to strike Adam; at that moment John brother of Benet came to help Adam and received the blow intended for him from whom he died by misadventure. Benet is, and has always been, of good reputation.

Writ to the sheriff and coroners of Lancaster. Wethirby. 26 November 29 Edward 1. (1300)

Inquisition :- Monday after St. Hilary 29 Edward 1 [9 January 1301].

Benet son of John de Dalton, indicted of the death of John his brother, killed him by misadventure and not by felony or malice. On Monday before St. Bartholomew 27 Edward 1 (17 August 1299] John son of Willy de Dalton the father of Benet and Agnes his wife went to the house of Adam le Sicheler to drink with some neighbours. John son of John and brother of Benet remained at home to guard his father's house. Adam son of William de Manne at the hour of vespers came to the house of John son of Willy in which were Simon Haxley and Robert de Crayk drinking in the solar. When Adam perceived they were there he went to the solar stair (gradum solarii) with a drawn knife in his hand, saying that never could he better avenge himself upon those in the solar. At that moment Benct arrived at his father's house, finding Adam standing with his knife drawn andearing his malice, he asked him what he intended to do, and Adam answered that he desired vengeance upon his enemies in the solar. Benet said that no one ought to injure another in his father's house, wrenched the knife from his hand and drove him from the house. Adam was incensed against Benet for this act, ran to his house, took his sword and going back to John, son of Willy's house, found Benet in the twilight, and would have killed him. Benet again deprived him of his sword, calling upon God and the king's peace. Adam seeing that Benet would capture him, drew a long knife and ran towards him. John, Benet's brother, came to help his brother, who on account of the dusk thought it was Adam and struck him with his sword upon the head by misadventure and not of malic aforethough.

Source: cf. Patent Roll Calendar, p. 599. C. Crim. Inq. File 9.

5- SIR RICHARD DALTON II, the first son of Sir Richard Dalton I was born before 1250 and married a Miss Lawrence in Lancashire England. His signature is on a deed, 1282. He died in 1293.

Sir Richard and his wife, listed only as Miss Lawrence, had three sons:

1. Robert, born about 1270. (our line)

2. John, born about 1278. (founder of the Kirby Misperton line)

3. Henry

Origins of the Name Lawrence:
Lawrence is derived from the Latin Laurus or Laurentius. It has been given various meanings among which is "flourishing like a bay tree" and "crowned with laurel," both implying that the owner of the name was successful. Variations of the name are Laurence and Lawrance with the spelling Lawrence being the most prevalent in modern times. In old English records Lawrence also is found spelled Laurens or Laurenz, the French spelling, indicating that the family origins may have been from the Normans who invaded and conquered England in the Eleventh Century.

The below research is where our Dalton family starts with the mention of Sir Rychard Dalton of Byspham in Lancashire. Anything before that is speculation and future research is needed.

The Flower's Visitation of Yorkshire in 1563-4 gave the main pedigree of the Dalton family. It started with Sir Rychard of Byspham born about 1230 and holding the manors of Byspham in Lancashire and Kirkby Misperton in Yorkshire. He had two sons, Sir Robert and Sir John. Sir John held the manor of Kirkby in 1332 and may have founded the Yorkshire line of Dalton's. Sir Robert was born in 1284 and died in 1350. About 1320, he married Mary, the daughter of Sir Thomas Lathom and she bore him a son, Sir John Dalton.

The below story was copied from Volume 38, June 2003 issue of the Dalton Genealogical Society Journal.

The history of Sir John de Dalton, Richard de Dalton’s second son and founder of the Kirby Misperton line of Dalton’s: By Michael Cayley.

Sir John de Dalton, second son of Sir Richard Dalton of Bispham in Lancashire, was appointed bailiff or constable of Pickering Castle by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, probably soon after 1300. State and other records give a lot of information about Sir John. He was a leading supporter of the Earl of Lancaster, his feudal overlord. The Earl was one of the chief opponents of Edward II's favorites and several times he fought against royal forces. In 1312, Sir John led 300 of the Earl's tenants in the Pickering area. "clad in forest green", against the king's castle at Scarborough. Then they went on to fight the royal army in Lancashire. In 1318, John was pardoned for his part in this or another of the Earl's rebellions. When the Earl was captured in 1320, Sir John lost his post as bailiff of Pickering Castle, but he seems to have managed to negotiate himself out of trouble, within a reasonably short period. After a spell in prison, he was released in 1322, and his lands were restored, in return for 100 marks. He seems to have been on reasonably good relations with the Percy family of Northumberland, in whose custody he was held, for we find that Eleanor de Percy pleaded for his release.

Edmund of Lancaster, Earl Thomas's father, had already granted to Sir John the manor of Foulbridge, which is probably the modern Snainton, about half-way between Pickering and Scarborough. This was following the confiscation of the Manor, from the Templars, when they were suppressed in 1306. In 1324, Sir John bought the manor of Kirby Misperton, which was a few miles south of Pickering. This manor remained in his descendants' hands until 1594, when Roger Dalton, an Elizabethan M.P., with some secret service links, sold it. Roger then moved to the south of Ireland, just in time to find his vast estates there caught up in the great Irish rebellion, which marked the closing years of Elizabeth I's reign.

One of Sir John's duties, as bailiff of Pickering castle, was to serve as warden of the Forest of Pickering. We must not imagine this as consisting entirely of woodland. It was a tract of partially wooded land governed by forest law, and would have included areas suitable for pasture and areas for cultivation. In 1306, we find Sir John defending his forest rights against the Abbot of Rievaulx, which was one of the first abbeys of Yorkshire. The Abbot was pasturing animals in part of the Forest: In 1334, Sir John was fined £2, (which was quite a considerable sum in those days), for taking too many deer from the Forest during his period as warden.

Sir John's responsibilities extended to the Yorkshire coast. An entry in the Close Rolls for 28th December 1320, (which was after he ceased to be bailiff of Pickering), refers to him as having detained some foreigners, mainly Flemish and Hungarian, who had been wrecked on the coast. The mayor and bailiffs of York were instructed to hand the detainees over to the sheriff of York, who was to hold them, pending the receipt of information as to whether they had been driven ashore by a storm.

Sir John was doubtless, at times, an overbearing and difficult master. In 1321 or 1322, one Nicholas, a Pickering man, complained to Parliament that Sir John had wrongfully imprisoned him for debt, motivated by "greed for his land” But he also seems to have been a man of faith. He and his wife were for a time patrons of one of the great medieval English mystics, Richard Rolle, whose The Fire of Love has been published by Penguin Books. Richard Rolle's father was a friend of Sir John, and Richard studied with Sir John's sons at Oxford. He left Oxford in 1318 and returned to his father's home in the Forest of Pickering. Then he fled the family abode, determined to become a hermit, and took refuge in a church near Pickering, possibly at Kirby Misperton. There he preached a sermon, which so impressed Sir John and his wife that they not only fed him, but gave him the use of a cottage to serve as a hermitage. Richard Rolle left this after two or three years and moved on, for reasons that are not entirely clear. It is thus, arguably, to Sir John that we owe the writings of one of the most influential mystical writers of medieval England.

Another history of Sir John de Dalton copied from Vol. 5 of the December 2002 issue of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society.

The Earldom of Lancaster was granted in 1267 to Edmund Crouchback, second son of King Henry III. This was the core of the later and better-known Duchy of Lancaster. As well as the Honor, County, Castle and Town of Lancaster, Edmund received many other great estates, including the Castle, Manor and Forest of Pickering and the Manors of Scalby, Easingwold and Huby in Yorkshire. Crouchback died at Bayonne in 1297. The title and estates passed to his eldest son, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.

Thomas was Earl in the later years of the reign of King Edward I (1272-1307) and the early years of the reign of King Edward II (1307-1327). He became the richest Earl: his income has been estimated at £11,000 a year, after 1311, when his marriage brought him much of the great de Lacey estate. His household expenses were over £7,500 in each of the years 1313-14 and 1318-19. A considerable staff managed his estates, organized in seven large honors and three bailiwicks, which included such castles at Pontefract, Tutbury, Leicester, Lancaster and Pickering. The principal task of the estate officers was raising income for the Earl.

Each castle had a keeper and each major estate a receiver and a steward. In a later day and age, the Constable of Pickering Castle was also Master of the Forest and not infrequently also Steward of the estate. There are signs that such a merger of offices may already have taken place. John de Dalton was keeper of Pickering Castle for Thomas Earl of Lancaster! At the same time, he was Bailiff of the Liberty of Pickering and had custody of the forest of Pickering. He was specifically referred to as "Bailiff and Receiver of Pickering" when rendering his account at Pontefract! He was referred to as a past Constable of the Castle and Warden of the Forest in 1336.

As Constable, Dalton was responsible for raising, equipping and mustering the freemen of the liberty for war, when required to do so by the King or the Earl. As Bailiff he received the Earl's rents not merely in Pickering itself but throughout the liberty of Pickering Lythe. This district extended from the river Derwent to the crest of the North York Moors beyond Goathland and from Sinnington near Kirkby Moorside as far as the coast near Scarborough and Filey. Within its bounds were many other manors and monastic estates. The Bailiff served all writs and summonses in the Liberty on behalf of the Earl, instead of the King's Sheriff. As Receiver, Dalton collected some rents and received others from the local reeves. As Warden of the Forest of Pickering, he had to account for all deer taken and for all major trees felled in the wood and that sustained them. He might make arrests for significant breaches of forest law. In practice, he was the head of a sizeable local organization of foresters, verderers, agisters, regarders and other officers of the forest, whose powers ran throughout the same district, regardless of any powers possessed by local lords of manors.

Dalton's duties seem to have gone beyond administration. He executed significant policy changes for the Earl. New judgements on several customary procedures were alleged in the chorus of complaints against actions taken during his time. Once the Earl was dead, the local freemen petitioned the King and Council claiming that free men had been fined for alienating land held of a chief lord, contrary to common law and the customs of the manor of Pickering. The rights of mesne lords to take fines for breaches of the assize of ale had been denied. Mesne tenants had been forced to attend more courts or were fined. Earl Thomas had stopped his tenants attending other men's courts. Freemen had been fined without legal writs and denied the right to attorneys. Such overthrowing of custom, if all the assertions were true, was hardly likely to be the result of a local official's decisions for his own gain, but rather the response to the general pressure being exerted by the Earl to raise more income from all of his estates.

We might well ask how the career developed that ended with such responsibilities. The question cannot yet be answered. John is said to have been the second son of Sir Richard Dalton of Bispham in Lancashire. Movement between the scattered estates of great men was a feature of early career paths and he may have gained experience at Lancaster before coming to Pickering. Clearly he was literate and could keep accounts, but, unlike many of Lancaster's officials, he was not a clerk in holy orders. He employed his own clerk! It is surprising, almost disconcerting, to find John de Dalton and William Ie Lung on a jury of men of the city and suburbs of York about St Nicholas hospital in 1275.

When John de Dalton was warden of Pickering forest, in 1306, his clerk Roger the Long entered his appraisals of the value of forfeited animals in the accounts. Within a short list of tenants of the "sake" of Pickering in 1327-8, John Dalton and a William the Long both pay 5s tax. A little later, John Dalton would tenant a Kirkby Misperton manor from St Mary's Abbey. (It may or may not be relevant that a Dalton township forms part of the parish of Kirkby Ravensworth).

John Dalton's salary for his Pickering offices was ten pounds a year, but his, accommodation, food and clothing were provided and there were many perquisites, expenses and rewards in kind. His household included paid servants. There was much traveling with instructions and deliveries. The Earls later visits to Pickering Castle seem to have been infrequent, only definitely recorded in September 1307 and 1314. However, an early visit by the Countess Alice might be presumed, for on 24th, August 1310, Archbishop Greenfield of York issued a mandate to the Chapter of York to cite the persons who had assaulted an esquire of Countess Alice in Pickering church. Dalton frequently sent messengers with letters to the Earl and others or received those bringing orders from his lord. His clerk spent five days on a visit to the Bishop of Durham about the wardship of a local manor. When the Parliament met at York, a well-protected convoy was formed to take £120 to pay the Earl's creditors. Roger the clerk accompanied the money with two horsemen and four footmen. The Constable allowed himself ten shillings expenses when he went to Nostell Priory on the Earl's command and to Pontefract about the Earl's affairs. When Dalton killed fourteen "harts of grease" in the forest, he took them to York for the Earl.

John de Dalton handled a total Pickering estate income approaching £500 in the year, a significant part of the Earl's revenues. He was also responsible for spending a good deal of it. His accounts for the year from September 30 1313 to the same date in 1314 are extant. They include the returns submitted to him by the Reeves of Easingwold and Pickering and tell us obliquely of some of the detail of local life. The incomes included rents and fines, from barons, freemen, bondmen, cottagers, burgesses and tenants at will, other sums for leasing demesne lands, water mills and market tolls, more monies paid instead of doing labour services and small incomes from iron smelting and tolls of fairs. There was a gift of ten pounds for the Earl from the Abbot of Rievaulx and a small rent of seven pence from Robert the Long and Nicholas Skinner.

Sums called the "issues" of the Manor and the Forest were also paid to John. His administrative expenditures were set against them in his accounts. Wapentake courts and Sheriffs "tourns" met for the district probably presided over by the Constable himself, as well as the "Halmote" courts, with more local pre-occupations. He bought parchment for the rolls on which the Forest and the Wapentake court records were kept. Taxes were levied on people's assets for the Earl whenever the king took a tax. Tenants also paid relief, a sort of inheritance tax to enable heirs to follow parents in their tenancies. Forest poachers and other offenders were fined and some were released on bail to await a higher court judgement. Prisoners were charged for keep. Stray cattle, horses and sheep were driven to a pound and either returned after a fine and a charge for fodder or sold off. Small sales included wreck timber from the coast, the pasture of the castle ditch and ewe's milk.

The early Forest of Pickering had been organized to keep the deer and wild boar for the king's hunting and the king's table and to limit destruction of the woodland that gave them cover. This was still basically the case, but the balance had changed and as much attention was now given to raising the Earl's incomes. Those who took deer were heavily fined but no longer lost body parts, although a summary execution by foresters had occurred as recently as 1282. Within the Forest preserves, new intakes were allowed and let as farming land. Pasture was being "agiste'" rather than kept free for the deer and so leased for cattle, sheep and swine, even on the high moor. Great timbers were felled for house building while dry wood, brushwood, heather, ironstone, building stone and tree bark were sold. Dogs, which might damage deer were no longer totally prohibited, indeed dog licenses brought in a useful £42.16s 6d in one year. Dalton's clerk collected the pannage payments for pigs allowed to run in the woods. The Pickering manor demesne arable land was now let to tenant farmers but valuable parks and meadows were kept in hand to sustain the deer and a stud of horses. Dalton managed the remaining demesne meadows, employing workers for mowing, tending, making and cocking hay from more than eighty acres of meadow in blocks distant from the castle. Ten acres of meadow were specifically reserved for the bailiff's horses. Wages went to those stacking the carts and the man who thatched the haystack. The hay was used mainly to sustain the deer in winter, particularly those concentrated in the walled deer park at Blansby, north of the Castle and in the hedged "hays" at Dalby and Scalby. Since there was no castle arable remaining, a mixture of grains called "mas/in" was bought to pay the Blansby park keeper in kind. Dalton in 1313-14 had much of the stone park wall rebuilt, deer shelters made, boughs felled and taken with hay to the park to sustain the deer through the winter.

The Constable had significant receipts from the Castle sheep flocks, which ranged the high moors alongside monastery flocks and those of small farmers. The two shepherds brought them down for washing and shearing. Some 54 wethers, 50 ewes and 24 lambs were sold before shearing but 628 others were dealt with by the stockmaster. Three great sacks and a further three and a half stone more of good wool were carded and stocked in the Castle wool house ready for inspection by merchants. Another 63 skins and 7 carcasses and three stone of tangled wool were sold. There remained 473 wethers, 86 ewes 53 hogs and 49 lambs. Of the 625 fleeces taken, 54 were paid as tithe to St Mary's abbey. The stock master went to Ripon fair to buy 84 new wethers but the Stewards clerk, the reeve and his clerk all joined him on the journey to Rothwell to render their accounts to the Earl's Wardrober.

Much of Dalton's time was spent at the hunt, if statements that he took deer mean what they say. Hunting was the main pre-occupation of his class. In his whole period of office as Constable and Keeper of the forest, John de Dalton took 134 harts and 158 hinds, bucks and does, mostly on the instructions of the Earl. The majority were dispatched to the Earl's larder, even 24 to Teignmouth when the Earl was briefly there. Others were sent as gifts to people named by the Earl, as rewards and favours, some to such significant people in their castles as Lady Joan Comyn at Malton, Lord Wake at Kirkby Moorside, Lord Mennel at Whorlton and William de Ros at Helmsley. Gifts went to such national figures as the Bishop of Ely and Aymer de Valence. Regular dispatches of a tenth of the annual catch were sent as tithe to St Mary's Abbey,York. As Master of the Game, John de Dalton was himself allowed to kill three hinds, three calves, two fallow deer and two roe deer to give away as he wished. He claimed to take none for himself but his gazehounds did once seize four small deer and he was unable to rescue them alive.

Dalton's management of the forest timber was just as cautious. Local people had rights to timber for specific purposes, called "botes", usually taken under a forester's supervision, such as ploughbote, cartbote and hedgebote. In a different category was the large number of oaks delivered to several important people. There may have been some discretion for the constable but the Earl's permission must be presumed for such deliveries as 36 oaks to the Dean of York, a prominent Pickering churchman of the Brus family, who was building a house. John Dalton had a house built at Lockton for Edmund Crauncester using another 28 oaks, deliberately felled to serve as the huge crock timbers that would support a great ridge beam, in the local John de Dalton building style. When Hugh de Quilly was sent to Pickering castle to reside as one of a garrison, about 110 oaks were felled to use in fortifications and as fuel, apparently over a four year period.

Too much may be made of the complaints later made against the officers of Thomas Earl of Lancaster. There are some signs that Dalton's administration proceeded without too much fear or favour. Great forest droves were made in 1310-11. Many plough animals of St Mary's Abbey tenants were found in the Forest beyond their own precincts. They were seized and Earl Thomas ordered their delivery to the Abbot bailiffs for £22.12s. Another cluster of beasts from Lord Wake's Cropton-Middleton estates west of Pickering were found within the forest. It was later claimed that Wake's tenants immediately paid the sums at which they were appraised to John de Dalton, the Constable, and Roger the Long, the constable's clerk. During a Saturday in July 1312, John son of "Abbas of Rosedale" wounded a hart in Whitby forest and trailed it with bow and arrow over the Pickering forest boundary. Dalton found the wounded hart, took it with his own gazehounds and carried it to Pickering castle. Complaints that Dalton himself took too many deer were reasonably answered but he was fined for excess.

Nicholas at the bridge of Pickering certainly thought he had a grievance against the Constable. He complained to the King & Council that Dalton wrongfully used the powers of his office to arrest him in the town and imprison him in his house from the 27^th of May 1319 until Saturday the 14th June. On his account, Dalton claimed that Nicholas owed the Earl over £10 for arrears and default of services and obliged him to surrender a property deed for his land before letting him out. Nicholas denied any arrears or defaults and considered John was after his land. He claimed damages of £40. The case went to chancery but we don't know the verdict, let alone the rights and wrongs of the matter.

Pickering people later claimed that in the time of Earl Thomas "many strange things were done by the bailiffs, verderers, and foresters, in prejudice of the rights of the Crown such as purprestures and enclosures to the great destruction of the game". Foresters felled oak trees without number. The people of the country were beggared while foresters were rich in lands tenements and fine manors though when they came into the country they had nothing but their bows and arrows and the clothes they walked in. However, when these complaints were made, the estate had passed back to the Crown. If Earl Thomas had felled trees and killed game, they had been his own, to do with whatever he wished. Nor were Pickering people particularly minded to the defiance of Crown assets. There is clear resentment of the Lancaster men, but it was perhaps just sour grapes against incomers. Few charges were made directly against John de Dalton, and even in our own day it is usual to lay much blame on fallen administrations.

King Edward II co-operated in Papal moves to destroy the power of the semi- monastic military order of Knights Templars. Originally formed to support pilgrims to the Holy Land, they had become wealthy and their wealth was wanted. The suppression of the English Templars began in 1308. They had manors within the Pickering Honor at Foulbridge, Lockton and Allerston. Foulbridge occupied a low lying site in Pickering Vale below Snainton, where a preceptor, chaplain, servants and visiting knights occupied a fine aisled Hall, probably rebuilt c.1288, a chapel, water and windmills, three granaries and other good buildings amidst 280 acres of arable, 40 acres of meadow and much good pasture within a ring fence farm, near a Derwent toll bridge. This was a highly desirable estate. Earl Thomas of Lancaster, as overlord resumed the property by right of "escheaf'. At an unknown date, he granted the Foulbridge manor to John de Dalton for life, with reversion to the Earl! John "agisted' other people's animals at Foulbridge but there is no other evidence known for his use of the property. He appears to have held the estate till 1324 when King I Edward granted it to the Knights Hospitallers!

John Dalton's responsibilities broadened in 1314. Thomas Earl of Lancaster was the nephew of King Edward I and cousin of King Edward II. Born about 1278, he was married to Alice de Lacy, daughter of Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln in c.1294. She appears to have been somewhat younger than Thomas. This was a dynastic union of estates as much as persons. She remained childless and would leave him in 1317. During the year 1313-1314, the Countess Alice was quartered in Pickering Castle with a separate household. Dalton was the Constable with many arrangements to make. Seven letters of instructions came from the Earl in the year and Earl Thomas himself visited the Castle, perhaps briefly, while she was there. Seven oaks were felled for them and for building works in the castle. The outer gate and its bridge and several castle apartments were repaired. The Hall windows were mended and a new bucket purchased for the well. Dalton had eighty planks bought at Easingwold and laid in the gangway leading from the Countess's chamber to the chapel. Fuel was brought for her household from several Pickering woods. John de Dalton paid £112.15s to Master Richard Warmington, the clerk of her household, on one occasion. Her total spending during her stay at Pickering was £285.13s 4Y2d, some of which was pantry, buttery and kitchen purchases including a substantial quantity of wine.

That same year, a new hall with a chamber was built in the castle, probably to house the Countess in a manner more suitable to her station. This was a major building work, quite possibly of the largest hall yet built in north east Yorkshire. The ground was leveled where an old bakehouse had burnt down. Four hundred cartloads of stone made the walls. Soil was brought in to make mortar with twenty-seven quarters of lime. With the masonry complete, joiners erected planks and joists, doors and windows, using 1,680 nails, 20,000 tacks, 22 door hinges, 28 window hinges and 2,600 laths. The building was roofed with thin flags, the gaps between J filled with moss. The floor and walls of the Countess's upper room and chamber were plastered and a fine plaster chimneypiece was made. The chaplain supervised the workers. Dalton paid the bills, totaling £341. The lower walls of the wide hall survive still near the chapel, with parts of doorway and window masonry, fireplaces and seats, but the columns that must have supported the wide roof have gone.

Earl Thomas became the leader of the baronial opposition to King Edward II's favorite, Piers Gaveston, from 1309. This brought Dalton into service as a military commander in the field as well as a castle constable. It is surprising that when he witnessed a charter in 1320-21 concerning Great Habton manor, along with some of the principal men of the district, he is not among the knights and he may not have held that status. Another John in a charter of 1366 about the same manor had been knighted! The forces he commanded sound small but was typical of much mediaeval warfare. By 1311, the Earl and his Constable were in virtual rebellion. Dalton arrayed local men and took them to York in 1312 and with several earls pursued the King and Piers to Newcastle on Tyne. Edward ordered Scarborough Castle victualed and over £34 spent there on springalds and other equipment. When Lancaster reached the Newcastle on May 4, 1312, the King and his friend had sailed for Scarborough. The monarch left Gaveston in that strong castle, believing him secure. John de Dalton led three hundred of the Earl's tenants, "clad in forest green" to besiege the King's Scarborough castle. Nothing has been found to confirm the local Pickering legend that when Dalton's force-marched to take Scarborough Castle, a Scarborough force marched on Pickering, one taking the high road and one the low road. After about ten days, it did not appear that neither Gaveston’s forces nor his supplies were adequate. He was persuaded to accept easy surrender terms after negotiations in a borough Friarage, with a promise of safe conduct. Soon afterwards, Piers Gaveston was killed.

This was not Dalton’s only campaign. He led the local forces, enhanced by other levies, to Lancashire in 1315 "to take Sir Adam de Bannastre and his force and put them to death"

A chronicler claimed that the Earl's force was 600 while Bannaster, who had rebelled against the Earl, had 80. After the Earl of Lancaster's death, there were Yorkshire complaints that Dalton's officers forced others who were the King's subjects ‘by their violence and imprisonment’ to go with the Earl's people. The next year, in 1316, Dalton was directed to raise the men of the liberty for the King. There is no evidence that he did so. Lancaster and the King were again at odds. Pickering men went to Pontefract the next year whence the Earl attacked Earl Warenne's castles. Warenne had persuaded Lancaster's wife Alice to leave him. These were the decades in which Scots raids were harrying much of the north, but Lancaster refused to array against the Scots and may have had agreements with them. His Pickering tenants would complain that the bailiff and other officers required them to rebel often against the King but they were never arrayed against the Scots.

The Earl's officers led the Pickering vale men to besiege Tickhill Castle in 1322. The enmity of King and Earl was now beyond reconciliation but the balance of force shifted. Lancaster was defeated at Boroughbridge, and with many Pickering Vale men taken prisoner. The Earl was executed on the 22nd of March 1322. Some prisoners went to Scarborough and York Castles. Sir William Latimer spent four days taking Pickering castle for the King. Dalton was put out of his offices and was imprisoned. On the 9th of April that year a royal letter of protection was issued to John Dalton of Pickering. In June, Eleanor de Percy, a kinswoman of the King, asked for his pardon, supported by the young Henry de Percy. Years earlier, John had allowed Henry's father favoured rights of hunting in the forest.

After fifteen years as the principal figure in the Honour of Pickering, Dalton had lost his offices and responsibilities but his status remained considerable. He seems to have been treated favorably by the King. The displaced constable was released from prison on the 16th July 1322 and his chattels restored but with a fine of 100 marks (£66.13s.4d.) for rebellion. Only a wealthy man could have paid that, but he didn't have to. King Edward II remitted this fine in person at Pickering on 11th March 1323. Three years later the king, staying at the Tower in London, signed an order for John to receive from the new constable a gift of two oaks out of Alantofts near Goathland.

Dalton may not have come to Pickering with merely his clothes, bows and arrows but he did end with a fine manor and lands. For a while he resided at Pickering, and it is possible that he had long had a house there apart from the Constable's lodgings in the Castle. When a Thomas de Collom was charged for having his three pigs in the forest without permission in the "fence month", Dalton was named as one of the successors in his property and so was charged for the pigs. The location of his house is unknown but a case might be made for one at Keld Head, a detached hamlet where later constables had a substantial house. In 1323-4, John bought a manor and mill at Kirkby Misperton, locally known as "Kirby Owcar" or over-carr, from Richard de Kirkby, apparently that held as a tenancy of the Abbey of St Mary's York. An "Abbot's close" on later maps near the entrance to the nationally known theme park called Flamingo Park, may mark the early manor house site.

Pickering constables John Kilvington and Adam de Skelton in the following years allowed 26 more oaks to go beyond the forest bounds to John's house at Kirkby Misperton. Although the movements were duly presented as offences at the forest courts, they were not rescinded. Dalton himself moved eight more cartloads of wood there, claiming this to be within his rights of housebote and haybote for his Pickering house. The Kirkby manor house was probably being rebuilt. In these later years, we find John going surety at forest courts for others of the local manor lord class. A continuing connection between Kirkby and Pickering is evident. Among those charged with either catching hares in the forest, keeping greyhounds and carrying bows and arrows were the parson of Kirkby Misperton church and interestingly "William son of Thomas the miller of Dalton". John still pays substantial tax at Pickering in 1332.

In Dalton’s period, Richard Rolle returned home to Yorkshire from his studies at Oxford, where Archdeacon Thomas Neville of Durham had sponsored him. Among his fellow scholars were sons of John de Dalton. He begged two dresses, white and grey from his sister and refashioned them into a white under garment and a grey over tunic, adding his father's black rain hood. This matched the habit of an Augustinian hermit. On August 14th he took up Dame Dalton's place in church. When she arrived, her servants wished to turn him out but she let him stay. The next morning he preached at the mass there with some effect. The Dalton boys recognized him and John Dalton took him to dinner, gave him a room and a better costume. Later Rolle moved from the house to a hermit's "celf' on the estate, apparently for over four years. He had long conversations with Lady Dalton, "drove away the devil," and comforted her at her deathbed, after which he may have moved away.

Scholars have differed on when and where these events took place. Rolle is said to have left Oxford in 1318 but it is also said that he was there for a time in c.1320 and again in 1326. Thornton Dale had a Rolle family and the hermit later wrote advice to a nun at nearby Yedingham Priory. Pickering or Kirkby Misperton churches could be the scene of the events, with Pickering favoured if we accept the earlier date. The house and cell could similarly be at either place but Kirkby Misperton would hardly fit the earlier date since it doesn't seem to have had a Dalton connection then. It may be significant that an "anchorites close" is sited between Pickering and Keld Head

John de Dalton's sons, John, Thomas and Nicholas, lived at Kirkby Misperton. Their father's descendants were there until the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Their prominent ancestor weathered the collapse of an Earl for whom he worked for fifteen years and won the approval of a king he had opposed for thirteen of them. He must have been a remarkable man. We can be forgiven for feeling that there was a lot more to his story than we yet know.

6- SIR ROBERT DALTON, the first son of Sir Richard Dalton II was of Byspham, Lancashire and was born about 1279. He died about 1350. He married Mary Latham.

Sir Robert and Mary had two sons:

1. John. (Our Line)

2. William

Note: This Sir Robert Dalton is where most of the Dalton family researchers believe is the start of real documented proof of our Dalton line in Lancashire.

The History of Sir Robert Dalton, Knight:
Source: by Mrs. Morag Simpson; from an article in Vol. 5, page 22, of The DGS Journal.

From the “Dalton Book” By Mrs. Frances Edith Leaning (Dalton)

From the personal files on the Dalton family, by Rodney Dalton

Combined research by members of the Dalton Family Research Group.

With some editing by Rodney Dalton.

Sir Robert is the first direct Dalton ancestor whose life is documented in some detail. The documentation comes about because he was actively engaged in public affairs during the reigns of Edward II and Edward III. His father was Sir Richard de Dalton, the same what legendary ancestor whose exploits crusading earned the green griffin crest for his family.

The very first document I have found that mentions a Robert de Dalton is one that he signed as a witness:

FILE - Swinburne Manuscript Vol. 5 - date: 13th - 19th centuries

Item: Lease (indented) - date: 11 Nov 1251.

William de Milneburne leases to William son of Walter Taylor of Hoga all his land with toft and croft in the township of Newton for term of 4 years paying 5 silver shillings rent a year, half at Pentecost and half at St. Martin for all customs and exactions. Witnessed by lord Th. de Fenure, lord Symon de Difiliston, Patrick son of (?) Finnardus, Adam son of (?) Christiana, Robert de Dalton, Nicholas son of Alan, and Th. chaplain who wrote this deed.

Another early historical reference to Robert de Dalton is in 1284, when he was one of twelve men, all of Yorkshire, who were mainpernors (surety for a person's appearance in court) for one, John de Northeland, imprisoned for the death of Robert de Sumeter. Sumeter had been killed in Yorkshire, and mainpernors had to be reputable persons of that county. This item is found in a volume of state papers know as Close Rolls, Vol. 131, p. 271 (Edward 1).

Sir Robert is next mentioned in HL IV p. 98, and as the reference is to "Inquisitions and Extents", it is probable that this was the year of his father’s death, and he has now became Lord Manor of Bispham. At any rate, in 1305 he was claiming "common of pasture" from Ellen, widow of Henry de Lathom, and from the Prior of Surscough. Both of these were people of importance in the neighborhood of Bispham. In the Hundred of West Derby, which belonged with scores of other properties to Earl Edmund, the King's brother, there were several manors, let to various people. Amery de Bispham under William de Ferrers, for instance, had held Bispham, in 1287. When Robert de Holand held Holland, Upholland, Leyland, and others, Lathom was also an adjoining Manor, and held by the Lathoms, who took their name from it. Long afterwards, during the Civil War, the siege of Lathom House made it famous; but in the meanwhile there was an intricate network of inter- marriage between the several families, so that it is difficult to get out one pedigree without bringing in the rest. Burscough Priory had been founded by a Lathorn in the reign of Richard I - it was for Black Canons, and the Prior had the grant of holding a market, and an annual fair on Whit Monday, Tuesday, and September 8th, from Edward I. According t o the Burscough Register, our Robert de Dalton allowed the Prior ‘to approve in the hey of Dalton', (VCHL IV p. 98). A hey was an enclosure into which "beasts of the chase" were driven, and this probably means the Prior's huntsmen might use it.

Sir Robert had the upbringing appropriate to his position in feudal society and appears to have been knighted at a young age. He succeeded to his inheritance at the death of his father in 1293, owning land, largely in the Hundred of Leyland at Byspham and Dalton. Land in the latter manor was held with the Holland family. In references to Sir Robert in the official records, various members of the Holland family are often associated with activities of the Dalton’s. Up-Holland their original manor is close to both Byspham and Dalton but the families were not only neighbors but very probably related. The cross-lets of the Dalton’s and the fleur de lis of the Hollands only distinguished their coat-of- arms. Mrs. Leaning produces further evidence of such a link, "in one manuscript pedigree, drawn up by an unknown hand, our pedigree it surfaced by several of the Holland’s, one of them Adam being the immediate progenitor of the first de Dalton".

Sir Robert Dalton of Bispham Manor:
If you look at the southwest section of a map of Lancashire there is several Lancashire villages named Dalton. Also nearby is the village of Bispham, (not seen) - one of three in England. The Amery De Biscop family held lands in these villages and one of them is located north of Dalton, formerly known as Biscopham, and nowadays designated as Bispham, with the centre shown on the map as Bispham Green. The distance between these two points on the map is about six miles.

Our Dalton legend states that Sire de Dalton allegedly arrived in England in 1135 and was the father of this clan. Although pedigrees exist and there are mentions in the Close Rolls, constructing a time line for these early Dalton's is difficult. Records of possession of Bispham Hall by Dalton's do give a calendar of their presence. In the records there is a space of 36 years from Biscop family possession in 1288 to the possession by a Dalton in 1324. Thus is recorded that Sir Robert de Dalton took possession of Bispham Hall in 1324 and was followed by his son Sir John, in 1369. Sir Robert was also recorded to be of Pickering in Yorkshire and held an interest in Croston Hall as well.

The lands of Bispham village numbered about 900 acres in the 14th Century and today number about 1000 acres. Occupancy of Bispham Hall by a succession of Dalton's lasted from 1324 to 1558, when Sir Robert Dalton (later of Thurnham) transferred his interest to William Stopford. During 238 years of known Dalton occupancy, at least 9 generations of Daltons, some with fairly large families, descended from Sir Robert. It was inevitable that they migrated into the surrounding areas for their livelihood.

Bispham was originally in the Parish of Croston as was the adjacent small village, Mawdesley. Records show the purchase of land by the Bispham Dalton's at Bentley Carre in Mawdesley where farming was of prime importance and basket making was also a trade of the Dalton's.

As you study the Ordnance Survey along with Birth and Marriage records, they show that in the 16th Century, Daltons inhabited many of the villages surrounding Bispham and Dalton. Some went east to Standish and were raising families there before Myles Standish travelled to North America. Others went to Coppull and Chorley and into Eccleston. And in a wider circle went on to Preston, Burnley, Thurnham, etc.

Just south of Dalton is the village of Up Holland. The De Hollands’ and Dalton's were close friends. It was here that a De Holland hid Sir John after his dastardly act. Records show that marriages were performed between Dalton's and Hollands up to the 16th Century. As you study the Ordnance Survey, note the number of Halls that appear on the map. The lords of the manors were not only friends and entertained, but their children intermarried. One Hall missing from the map is Park Hall, now the base for a Theme Park, located at the side of M6 "motel" near Charnock Richard, and important because of a Dalton/Parke union.

Sir Robert was one of the knights in the train of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, Edward II's cousin. He is mentioned in various deeds relating to the Earl's affairs and another relation John de Dalton was the Earl's bailiff. The "favorite knight" of the Earl, however, was Sir Robert de Holland on who was lavished lands and money. Sir Robert was created a Baron in 1314.

The Earl of Lancaster was one of the great landed magnates of England and he became a focal point for the growing opposition to Edward II's unsuccessful regime. The loss of Scotland and the corruption of the government by the favorites of the King, who incidentally was a homosexual, were more than many feudal notables could stand and rebellion followed. Lancaster, however, made the mistake of trying to enlist the support of the Scots and this rallied some otherwise wavering nobles to the support of the King.

Thomas, The Earl of Lancaster, had been raised to an even greater position, and was in fact among the most powerful nobles in the realm. He was of the blood Royal, and within seven generations could count 5 kings as his direct ancestors, to say nothing of Rollo, duke of Normandy and Charles III of France, before William the Conqueror.

In 1320 our Sir Robert Dalton was one of the witnesses to a charter granted by the Earl, and it was not at all surprising that when the Earl used force to separate the weak King from his favorites that a conclusive family like the “Dalton's” should be in the Earl’s party. But the results were disastrous. Not all of the Earl’s broad land, or his great popularity, or even his kinship with Royalty availed to save him. When a great man falls, so do other lesser one’s fall with him.

The rebellion was defeated at the Battle of Boroughbridge in Yorkshire in l322 and Sir Robert de Dalton fought with the Earl. Sir Robert de Holland, however, arrived too late with his reinforcements and then, seeing the Earl's cause was lost, wasted no time in pillaging the belongings of the Earl's supporters, taking goods to the value of £1,000. He made his peace with the King and advanced in royal favor. In 1328, however, the followers of the Earl had their revenge and he was ambushed and killed. His head was sent to the new Earl of Lancaster as a symbol of revenge.

Thus in July of 1322, we find our Sir Robert Dalton in big trouble, for a order was issued by the King to Thomas Deyvill, constable of Pontefract Castle, to receive Phillip de la Beche, John de Acton, Robert Dalton and John Blaket as prisoners. Sir Robert was arrested and imprisoned in the dungeons of Pontefract Castle and his lands forfeited. The Earl was executed and many of his supporters hanged, but Sir Robert escaped with one year's imprisonment and a small fine, which was afterwards canceled. The Holland connection may have helped in this respect. Read next the story about this arrest of Sir Robert.

The arrest an imprisonment was in connection with the political troubles of Edward II's reign. Earl Edmund (brother of Edward I) had a son named Thomas; Thomas was the Earl of Lancaster and among the most powerful nobles in the realm. He was of the blood royal, and within seven generations could count five kings as his direct ancestors, to say nothing of Rollo, Duke of Normandy, and Charles II of France, before the Conqueror. In 1320 our Sir Robert was one of the witnesses to a charter granted by the Earl. But the Earl was headed for trouble-he lead the Baronial party who were using force to separate the weak king from his favorites, Piers Gaveston and the Despencers. The results were disastrous and not all his broad lands or his patriotic motives, or his great popularity, or even his kinship to Royalty, availed to save him. He was executed at Pontefract, after being taken prisoner at Boroughbridge, with many other barons and knights. When a great man falls, many other lesser ones fall with him. Such was the case with those who served the Earl of Lancaster. From the greatest to the least lost their posts and all that went with them. Two of those lesser men included brothers John and Robert de Dalton.

In March 1322, John de Dalton, brother to our Robert, is referred to in the Close Rolls (Vol. 132, page 284, 1318-1323) as "late baliff of the said Earl" and the "goods, jewels, corn, oxen, horses, cows, money by take, debts, and all other goods and chattels that belonged to the Earl in the castle and manor of "Solynbrok, which was in the baliff s charge, are come into the king's hands." The pedigree shows Robert as having a brother John, "of Kirkby Misperton," which is a place very near Pickering in the North Riding of Yorkshire. In the list of lands, which had belonged, in 1266, to "Edmundus filius Regis," we find after "Lancastr.castr. honor. Wiresdale and Lounsdale vaccar" (sic), "Pykering castrum et foresta (Ebor)", and John de Dalton of Pickering was the first of a series of Daltons there.

On July 20, 1322, the king issued an order to Thomas Deyvill, Constable of Pontefract Castle, to receive Philip de la Beche, John de Acton, Robert de Dalton, and John Blaket, as prisoners. A writ was at the same time sent to Henry de Percy, Constable of Scarborough Castle to receive another four (among them William Trussel), "and to cause them to be kept safely in that castle."

So during the next twelve months our Sir Robert had been lost, his wife and little son, living one supposes, on sufferance, and his friends clearly making frantic efforts to raise the great sum necessary for his ransom.

We get a glimpse of the complications that arose from the confiscation of lands, on July 3, 1323. It appears that a certain William de Hoton held of John Flemying, by homage and fealty and a yearly payment of 2s. A property in Mundesley of three messuages and sixty acres of land, rendering six marks yearly; and he had demised this property to Robert de Dalton for life. But it had been seized into the king's hands on the Saturday before the Annunciation in the fifteenth year of his reign, because Robert was with Thomas, late Earl of Lancaster and adhered to him. On learning of this, the king ordered the rent to be paid as before to William de Hoton.

Meanwhile, as the days lengthened, Robert had nothing to do but to pace the courtyard between the vast dark towers and to discuss for the thousandth time the scanty hopes and more abundant fears which the prisoners perhaps shared together. It was not encouraging to remember that before this very Castle, under a strongly armed guard, the Earl had been beheaded, and a great number of those of lower rank had been hanged. But the Constable had been changed since then, and it was in this year that the king himself paid a visit to Pontefract. Perhaps as a result, on August 12" the following mandate appears in the Close Rolls:

On August 12th, 1323, the King “ordered Richard de Mosele, Constable of Pontefract Castle to release Sir Robert, Knight, a late rebel from prison in that Castle, so that he may come to the King to make security for his good behavior, hereafter, as certain persons have prayed the King to deliver him and to have made security for 100 marks, where-in they made fine to save the said Sir Robert’s life”

A week later, the King come to further order: “ to John de Lancastre. Keeper of certain rebels land in the County of Lancaster, to deliver to Sir Robert Dalton, Knight, his lands as he has made ransom to the King for his life and lands.

Sir Robert de Dalton made very good use of his restoration to favour. Three years later he is found holding the position of Keeper of the King's Woods and case in Blakeburnshire. The king had discovered that at Pickering Lythe, or Liberty, great laxity had arisen in the keeping of the Forest Law, as more than two score of offences had occurred within a twelve month of the Duke's execution. He might easily - or uneasily - imagine the same sort of thing was going on elsewhere, and the sooner a trusty hand was placed in command, the better.

To be Keeper of the King's Woods was not a sinecure by any means. From time to time, at irregular intervals, certain Justices who rode a circuit were appointed to inquire into the stewardship of the Royal forests. The Court was preceded by a "regard" or survey made by twelve chosen persons, who were taken through the woods and had brought to their attention all trespasses against the Forest Law. The Keeper seems to have had to answer for every animal, every tree, every opening or enclosure, everything except the weather, that had its being in the "wood territory" under his care.

Robert de Dalton's position as Keeper is made known by a complaint registered in the Close Rolls in August 1326, by one Adam Nowel. The old man - or he may have been young - gives vent to what reads like a long howl, to the effect that he, and his father before him, and his grandfather, and his great grandfather, in fact all his forefathers, had enjoyed certain rights and privileges, of which he had been deprived when the woods came into the King's hands by the forfeiture of the Duke. These rights, such as to take old and dry wood, and to have common chace (sic) for all manner of wild beasts, with bow and arrow, but not in the demesne lands where he might not attack but for the length of the throw of a horn, and so on, were set out at great length. One gets the impression that the Justices became so tired that rather than hear any more of Adam, and his father, his grandfather, and so forth, they hurriedly record that the King orders the Keeper to permit Adam to receive and have, etc., and Robert de Dalton is here spoken of as keeper of the king's woods and chace aforesaid.

Two years later, in the next volume of the Close Rolls, we find Robert helping someone else, as he had himself been helped, to pay off the heavy ransom incurred by one, Thurston; others were Richard de Huyton, Henry de Ins, John Banastre, and Alan de Raynford. In 1335, John and Nicholas Banastre were found acknowledging a debt of £200 to Robert de Dalton. He was becoming more and more important, for in April of 1341 there was an order to pay him £46. 11. 2. or a greater sum due to him "for his wages when in the king's service in parts beyond the sea." In July of that same year he was associated with the Bishop of Durham; Henry, Earl of Derby; Henry de Percy; and Ralph de Nevill, with powers to treat with the king's subjects in the North for the defense of the country against the Scots.

In May 1343, in the Chancery at Westminster, there is deposited the indenture of Robert de Dalton's grant for life to John de Hoton, knight, of all the rents, etc., in Whytington in Lonesdale, Co. Lancs. Among the six witnesses were John de Shirburn and two members of the Radeclyff (Radcliffe) family.

In Nov. 1343, and to Feb. 1346, Sir Robert held the lucrative position of Constable of the Tower of London, The Kings most important prison.

The Tower of London

During that period eleven orders reached him, of which the greater part were to release certain prisoners. The one of highest rank was Gilbert le Despencer, to be released "by the mainprise (a writ directed to the sheriff, ordering him to take sureities for a prisoner's appearance and to let him go at large) of William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton," and Hugh le Despencer, "as he is staying under arrest in the Tower by reason of certain excesses charged against him." This order was under the Privy Seal, on December 20, 1344.

The Keeper of the Exchange was one John de Flete, concerning whom Robert de Dalton had been ordered, in January 1344, "to cause a turret in that Tower to be delivered for the making of gold and silver coins, until certain houses are ordained for making those stamps in the Tower." Two goldsmiths and a "chaucer" were others, but the most interesting of the releases were those of a monk, and a merchant, both dated August 31, 1345. That of the monk was as follows: "Order to deliver John de Forde, monk of the Priory of St. Swithun's, Winchester, who was lately delivered to the Constable to be kept in the Tower, for certain trespasses and excesses committed by him, to John, Archbishop of Canterbury, or to one of his, to do as shall be agreed upon between the king and the Archbishop." The second ran: "Order to release John de Astwyk, by the mainprise of eight named who have undertaken that he will answer to the king for what is to be paid of the 5000 marks promised by him and his fellows, merchants of England, and for wool taken by him to Flanders, contrary to the prohibition."

He was not continuously in residence there as some of the directives he received about his duties refer to Sir Robert "or to him who supplies his place there".

Clearly there was a deputy. In February 1346, the Calendar of Patent Rolls for 1345-1348, p. 52, shows a Grant to him of an annuity of £40 at the exchequer for life, "or until the king grant him an equivalent of land and rent." A fortnight later the reason for this becomes clear in the following: "March 12. Appointment of John Darcy "le piere" to have the keeping of the Tower of London for life, as others have held the same, receiving yearly the accustomed fee.

"Mandate to Robert de Dalton to deliver to him by indenture the said Tower, with the appurtenances, along with the armor, victuals, and other things, and the prisoners there, which are in his custody."

He relinquished his position in 1346 and received a grant of the "farm revenue" of Apthorpe in Northamptonshire, which amounted to £40 a year.

After leaving the Tower, Sir Robert immediately resumed his military career and joined Edward III in the invasion of France. He was present at the Battle of “Crecy” in 1346 and the Seige of Calais. Among his relatives and connections accompanying the King were the inevitable de Holland’s, Sir William de Dalton, Controller of the King's Household and later his Treasurer, and John de Dalton, the Royal Sergeant-at-Arms.

Sir Robert’s military talents were also put to use and he was connected with the Bishop of Durham, the Earl of Derby, Henry de Percy and Ralph de Neville, in organizing the defense of Northern England. He also served abroad since, in April 1341, he received a payment of £46 "for wages in the King's services beyond the seas".

Our Dalton family’s involvement during the war with France:
The "Hundred Years' War" between France and England (1337-1453) was an episodic struggle lasting well over a hundred years, for much of the time without any conflict. The battles were both violent, but also on occasions when ideals of "chivalry" were displayed.

The first major battle of this war was on 26 August 1346 in which Philip VI of France was defeated by Edward III of England was at the village of Crécy-en-Ponthieu, now in Somme, France, 11 miles northeast of Abbeville.

It was in the course of this year (1346) that Edward III, with the consent of all the Lords and commons of England prepared the great military expedition to France that led up to the victory at Crecy. Everything was done on a magnificent scale. There accompanied the King twelve great Earls, 1066 knights, over four thousand esquires, 20,000 archers, and a great host of yeoman, minstrels, messengers, masons, smiths, and others. Every knight

and men-at-arms was clad in complete armour, mounted on chargers, their surcoats trappings and banners showing their colours and devices.

In the retinue of Henry, Earl of Lancaster, we find the name of Nigel de Lorying, Chevaler, so well known to us through Conan Doyle's romance of "The White Company"; and with Sir Robert de Dalton, now a grizzled old warrior, went his son, Sir John and the relative Sir William de Dalton, Controller of the Kings household, and later of his Treasurer. There was also a John de Dalton, stated in the accounts (financial) to be "the knights cousin", and whom I take to be the same who is described in the allotment of properties in Calais, in 1348, as Kings sergeant at arms. He was of the retinue of Thomas, Bishop of Durham. The list of all these knights, and the account of the battle written immediately after it, as well as the description, and much else, is all to be found in the 18th volume of the Collections of the William Salt Archaeological Society.

The following names of knights who were with the King are given because every one of them was of a family or house with which our own was connected at the time or afterwards. Sir John de Shirburne, Sir Ralph de Ferrers, Sir William de Hesketh, Sir Otho and Sir Thomas de Holand, and Sir Thomas de Lathom, were from Lancashire. Others were Sir William Trussel of Cublesdon, Sir Michael Ponynges "le uncle." Sir John and Sir Nicholas Charnels, Sir Gerard de l'isle; John, Giles and Roger de Arderne, Henry and Gilbert de Haydok, and Sir Roger Hosie or Hussey. Many a father brought his son, just as the king himself brought the Black Prince, to be one of that goodly company.

The details of the prelude and aftermath of the battle offer some obvious explanations. Edward landed his army of 4,000 knights, and 10,000 English and Welsh longbowmen in 1,000 ships at St Vaast-de-la-Hague near Cherborg on 12 July 1346, plundered his way through the orchards and cornfields of Normandy and sacked Caen with merciless brutality. He by-passed Paris and eventually made camp at Crécy.

The Battle of Crécy:
The Battle was fought on Saturday, August 26 1346, and was the first of several significant battles during which the longbow triumphed over crossbowmen and armoured knights.

Some of the highlights of the battle of Crécy is referenced from the works of Jean Froissant, The Longbow by Robert Hardy and The Medieval Archer by Jim Bradbury:

French forces numbered approximately 36,000.

English forces numbered approximately 12,000 of which 7,000 were archers.

The battle line was approximately 2,000 yards wide.

The English army, occupying the top of a gentle ridge near the town, consisted of three groups of men-at-arms and spearmen, with archers placed on their sides. The archers formed ranks resembling an outward V.

Each English archer carried 2 sheaves of arrows (48) into battle. Resupply was accomplished by going back thru the lines or having more brought forward.

The bow draw weights were normally from 80 to 120 lbs.

Arrows, depending on type and weight, could be shot 250 to 300 yards.

The English archers could shoot an average of 10 arrows per minute.

The total number of arrows shot during the battle is estimated at a half million.

There were 14 to 16 charges made against the English lines from the start of the battle at 4:00 PM until the completion at midnight.

Casualties were estimated from 5,000 (low) to 10,000 or more (high) for the French Knights and Genoese crossbowmen. English casualties were several hundred.

The victorious Edward III then moved on to Calais, arriving on 4th September. An assault of the well-defended town looked impossible, and instead Calais was blockaded. This lasted until 4 August 1347, and therefore perhaps the pardon of William de Okebourn should have been dated 'outside Calais'. When Edward eventually entered the town he proceeded to evacuate almost all the inhabitants, in order to people it with the English colonists whose descendants were to hold it for another 200 years.

And so it was with our Sir Robert de Dalton, who passed on his legegcy to his son, who was also made a Knight. Great stuff!!!!

7- SIR JOHN DALTON I, the first son of Sir Robert Dalton, was of Pykerying and Bispham and was born before 1300 and married, 1 - Alice or Ellen Hussey, daughter of Sir Henry Hussey, Knight.

Married, 2 - Ismania de Hackensall, daughter of William de Hackensall.

Married, 3 - Margery de Poynings.

Married, 4 – Ellen Southworth

He died in 1369, seized of the Manors of Byspham, Dalton Hall, etc. Sir John and Alice Hussey had three children:

1. John II (our line)

2. Jane

3. Robert

The History of Sir John Dalton 1^st, Knight, born in Byspham, Lancashire Co. England. Compiled and edited by Rodney Dalton.
Sources: Vol. 2 page 463 – Victoria County History of Lancashire.

Various articles copied from the Journal of the Dalton genealogical Society.

Mrs. Leanings Dalton Book.

Among the possessions of Sir John’s had been the “farm revenue of the town of Apethorp in Northamptonshire, given to him by charter, and was worth £39.19.3d yearly. At the inquest post-mortem upon the death of his father, it is stated that “Sir John Dalton, Knight, his son, aged thirty years or more, is the heir” Sir John by right of inheritance held the Manor of Bispham that has been described as “Dalton Manor” Sir John also held lands in Whittington of the Lord de Coucy, by Knight’s service, and Sir John also added to his possessions by receiving a grant for life of the Manor of Hackinsall in 1357 and the same of Halewood in 1367.

By this time Sir John Dalton has married again and had two little sons, John and Robert. John would grow up an inherited all of his father’s property. He would marry Alice Hussey, daughter of Sir Henry Hussey, Knight.

In Sept. of 1369, Sir John Dalton died and his creditors claimed various sums for debt in Wrightington and Billings. His widow was remarried to Robert de Urswick of Upper Rawcliffe. His son, John was only six years old at this time and therefore was not given the rights to Bispham Manor until 1381 when he become 18 years old.

Lets now look at one of the most dramatic incidents in the Dalton annals. It occupies quite a number of entries in the Patent Rolls for March 31 1347. We can obtain a rather complete picture of what happened, and the unhappy consequences to all concerned.

Sir John Dalton’s story starts with what is known as “Sir John’s Raid” This event took place because of something that happened some twenty years in the past. It must be remembered that the constant border forays with the Scots, and the war in France, had accustomed the whole body of English men-at-arms to violent and savage deeds.

This wild and wicked escaped that happened had a precedent some twenty years earlier, when the Earl Warenne of Surrey had abducted the Duke of Lancaster’s bride,

Alicia de Lacy and in revenge the Duke burned down his Castle.

Deeds of blood were in the air, but nothing of quite such a scale as Sir John’s affair was expected to happen in England, and particularly at the time and place concerned.

Mrs. Leaning writes:
"Inasmuch as a scandalous outcry prevails everywhere among the people and very grievous complaint has been made to the king that John de Dalton, "chevaler"; Robert de Holand, "chevaler"; Thomas de Ardern "chivaler"; Matthew de Haydok, "chevaler"; Edmund de Marncestre, "chevaler"; and others by force ravished Margery de la Beche, united in lawful matrimony to Gerard del Isle, on the holy day of Good Friday, before the dawn, at her manor at Beaumes by Redying, where the king's son, Lionel, was then staying, within the verge of the Marshalsea of the household of the said keeper, and abducted her against her will whither they would, without reverence for God, Holy Church, or the king, and to the terror of the said keeper and the rest of the king's children then with him there, and all in those parts, and are now running to and fro that they may not be brought to justice for the felony; the king has appointed the said Gerard to arrest the said persons and all others who shall be indicted of the felony wherever found and bring them before the Council, and because Gerard fears bodily harm in the execution of the appointment from the said evil-doers, who are plotting to do him all the evil which they can, he has granted special license for him all those of his company to go armed for their self defense. Further, he has taken him and his men and servants into his special protection and safe conduct while executing the premises".

It is evident here that the six rampaging knights, all from the North of England and under the leadership of John de Dalton had planned this rain upon Beaumes. Of them all, only John de Dalton and Gerard del Isle (or de I'isle) had been in France together. From the expression "plotting to do him all the evil which they can" it looks as though there had been some sort of quarrel between them which, Sir John had determined to revenge.

A careful study of each of the family names concerned shows it was probably only younger sons involved in the kidnapping. For instance, Sir Thomas de Holand had been in France but not (the younger) Sir Robert; three of the Ardernes, but not (the younger) Thomas; two of the Haydoks, but not (the younger) Matthew. As for William Trussel, son of John Trussel, it is difficult to believe, but he was the Judge who had been elected to deal with the great Dispencers, however, it is possible that these are two separate men. De Mamcestre is not heard of except in this raid.

Margery de la Beche is the central figure. If a quarrel abroad were not the key to the concern, we might surmise that John had at some time seen her and wished to make her his own bride. But there is a difficulty here, for Margery had been born a Poynyngs; she had been married first to an Edmund Bacoun or Bacon, who died in 1336. In the year following, she married, secondly, Nicholas de la Beche. He was the youngest of three brothers, two of who figure among the knights of Edward 1, and had very honorable records. One of them, Philip, had been a prisoner at Pontefract with Robert de Dalton, and transferred to Scarborough. He had been Sheriff of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Whiltshire, and keeper of Old Sarum Castle. His brother John had been Sheriff of Hants, Notts, and Derby, and Constable of Nottingham Castle; but both being executed in 1329, Nicholas was left heir. He had been Constable of the Tower of London before Sir Robert de Dalton in 1339; and although I have not the date of his death, he must have died in or before 1347, when the raid took place, since Margery is now said to be the lawful wife of Gerard de I'isle. This Gerard was son of Warine de Lisle, governor of Windsor Castle and Keeper of the Forest, summoned to Parliament as Baron de Lisle in this same year.

It was a daring thing, therefore, to seize Margery like this. We can picture that wild ride down into the Midlands, through the night; the attack on the sleeping Manor house; the screams, the clash of arms, the shouting of the retainers and the trampling of the horses, the bloodshed and groans; and as the day broke, the misery and desolation throughout the domain. For not only was Margery gone, but old Michael le Ponyngs uncle lay dead; so did Thomas le Clerk; and Robert le Hunte, chaplain to Margery, "then lying sick there, for fear of the assault and evil deed presently died." Many another was wounded, also, for "they assaulted her men there, mutilated some so that their life was despaired of, and imprisoned others and took them with them from the county whither so ever they would, taking on themselves the royal power." A further account refers to the breaking of the houses, and adds that the marauders "carried away goods to the value of one thousand pounds." So it was not surprising that Gerard "feared bodily harm" and that the wrong-doers were "running to and fro that they might not be brought to justice."

So to continue we find Sir John Dalton I, with the aid of Baron Robert de Holland and four other Knights, abducting Margery de la Beche from her home, killing her Uncle, a Priest and various servants, terrified some of the Royal children who were staying there and stole valuables worth £1,000. Sir John married the lady the same day and fled northwards to take refuge with the Holland’s at up-Holland.

Now here are the Conspirators:
There were six Knights, all from the north of England and were under the leadership of Sir John Dalton, Knight, who staged this raid upon Beaumes.

We might surmise that Sir John had at one time, seen Margery de la Beche and wished to make her, his own. It was a daring thing, therefore to abduct Margery like this. There was the wild ride down into the Midlands through the night. The attack on the sleeping Manor house, the clash of arms, the bloodshed as the day broke, for not only was Margery gone but old Michael Ie Ponyings, her uncle was dead, as was many others.

While Sir John was on the run back in Northern England, he hid out in friends Manor’s and farms. Most of these people were arrested and sent off to jail, including his own father, Sir Robert.

The hunt for Sir John failed and also none of his co-conspirators was ever caught. Eventually the hunt for these criminals was dropped, as the King had become extremely busy. He had the war with France to deal with and he couldn’t spare any men to continue the chase. A second reason may have been because of the onset of the “Black Death” which swept over England as well as the continent and disorganized every thing.

The fate of Margery, Lady de la Beche was not so lucky. After the raid, Sir John married the lady, and as the wife of an outlaw, the King confiscated her lands. Under the date of Oct. 5^th, 1348 we find from the “Patent Rolls: All the great wood in the parks, out-woods, hays, orchards and elsewhere in the Manors and lands, late of Margery, late wife of Nicholas de la Beche, now wife of John Dalton, Knight, were given an assurance that they should not be impeached or disturbed by their heir’s of such sale, in spite of the out-lawery of John Dalton.”

Margery Poynings, born about 1310, died 1349. Also known as 'Lady De La Beche of Aldworth'

Margery was the daughter of Michael, Lord De Poynings. She was first married to Edmund Bacon, of Essex, who was descended from Sir John Bacon of Ewelme (Oxfordshire). She held the Manor of Hatfield Peverall, which Edward II had granted to Edmund Bacon in fee in 1310, for the term of her life, 'partly of the King and partly of the Earl of Hereford by homage, and the third part of a knight's fee and two pairs of gilt spurs of twelve pence price.' And she also held Cressing Hall or Cressinges, Essex.

By her first husband, Margery had one daughter, Margery Bacon, born 1337, who married, in 1352, William De Molynes, son of Sir John De Molynes, and she had also a step-daughter Margaret Bacon - daughter of Edmund Bacon, by his first wife Joan De Braose - who married William, 2nd Baron Kerdeston, of Norfolk.

As her second husband, Margery married Nicholas, Lord De La Beche of Aldworth (Berkshire) in 1339. They had no children and Nicholas died in 1345. To Margery, he left his castle of Beaumys, in Swallowfield, amongst other lands. Margery must have been still quite young and she was still a great heiress. Consequently, she was exposed to the designs of many suitors and, the following year, we find her mentioned as the wife of both Thomas D'Arderne and Gerard De L'Isle. And again, that same year, Lady Margery De La Beche was carried off and forcibly married to Sir John De Dalton. Very possibly the Black Death, which was raging this year, may have cut off Thomas D'Arderne and Gerard de L'Isle within a few months of each other.

After the raid was done, the King ordered for Sir John’s arrest:
His Indictment reads: “In as much as a very grievous complaint has been made to the King that John de Dalton, Robert de Holland, Thomas de Ardern, Matthew de Haydok, William Trussel, Edward de Mamcestre and others, by force, ravished Margery de la Beche, on the Holy day of Good Friday, before dawn, at the Manor of Beaumes, where the King’s son, Lional, Keeper of England was staying, and to the terror of said keeper and the rest of the King’s children, then with him there and all in those parts and are running to and fro, and that they be brought to justice for the felony. The King has appointed the said Gerard to arrest the said persons and all others who shall be indicted of the felony wherever found and bring them before the Kings Council”. The date of the King’s writ was March 31^st, 1347 and it is followed on May 10^th by a commission to certain Justices of Oyer and Terminer to place in outlawry in the county of Wiltshire, but the hunt being fairly up, John had evidently fled north.

There was meanwhile a rather premature warrant to John Darcy, Constable of the Tower, dated May 1^stto receive Sir John de Dalton and 17 other prisoners. Before any of these domestic matters could be attended to, however, the Earl of Lancaster and many others received an urgent summons to join the king as soon as possible, as "the French king is preparing to give battle before Whitsuntide" and the Mayor of London was to have ships and all manner of supplies ready.

In the commission of May 10, "the name of Richard de Holand is omitted. The County History comments that in his flight north, Sir John (de Dalton) implicated various entirely innocent persons, by taking refuge temporarily, and without their knowledge, in property belonging to them. Thus, Dame Maud de Holand had a manor in the Hundred of West Derby, which was adjacent to Bispham Manor itself. Gilbert de Haydok's name is now added to the commission, but on June 19^th and again on July 7th, he is pardoned, "at the request of divers magnates and others in attendance on the king, testifying that he is wholly innocent of the premises." This is dated from Calais (France), where Edward was busy replacing the French with Englishmen. Another whose name was added was Thomas de Charnels, also pardoned "on testimony by Henry, Earl of Lancaster," and because he was "wholly innocent." The Prior of Burscough, Thomas de Litheriond, had more difficulty in getting free, as it was not until November 28, 1347, that he obtained "six persons of repute" to appear in the Chancery and assert his innocence.

Worst of all, Sir John's father, Sir Robert fell under suspicion, and was actually sent to the Tower, as the following entry informs us: "July 31. Appointment of Adam de Bispeham to have the custody of the lands and goods of Robert de Dalton, 'chevaler,' now imprisoned in the Tower of London for felony, for such time as these remain in the king's hands on condition that he find sustenance for Robert, his wife and children, out of the said goods during that time. Mandate in pursuance to the Sheriff of Northampton and the escheator there. The like to the sheriff of Lancaster."

The escheator was the official receiver of all forfeited lands in whatever area he was appointed over. Sir Robert owned land in Northamptonshire as well as Lancashire. It must have been exceedingly hard on him in his old age, to come as a prisoner to the Tower, when he had previously been keeper of it. And he was there until May 28th of the following year (1348), as the entry in the Patent Rolls shows: "May 28^th, 1348. Pardon to Robert de Dalton, knight for felonies and trespasses at the Manor of Beaumes by Redying, County Wilts... granted because of his good service to the king for a long time, and because it has been proved that he is guiltless of the principal perpetration of the felonies ... The like to Mary, wife of Robert de Dalton, mutatis mutandis ... By Privy Seal."

It is from the inclusion of his wife's name, extraordinary as that seems that we know that she was called Mary. The name is not given in the pedigree; only the fact that she was of the house of Lathom. The "pardon" was of course followed by the restitution of Sir Robert's lands.

The commission of May 10th, exhaustive as it seemed, had failed to catch the principal offenders, and was followed by another, the third, on June 25th. In this, seven magistrates are ordered to arrest, wherever found, in the County of Lancaster or elsewhere, our seven knights - John de Dalton, always first, William Trussell, Thomas Dardern, Haydok, de Mauncestre, de Charnels, de Dutton, Robert de Dalton 'le cosyn,' Robert, father of John, Sarah Baillop, mother of Robert de Dalton 'le cosyn,' and others. Here was a fine mix-up of the guilty with the guiltless, and a curious reason emerges for the failure to arrest hitherto, for the wrongdoers "are now, as the king is credibly informed, staying in the said County (Wilts), and this by the maintenance and assent of the said commissioners." The justice "William de Thorpe and his fellows" who is named in the commission of May 10 is now omitted; and it is possible that he was either terrorized or bribed by the band, who had the men and the plunder which they had taken from Beaumes, and had found the north too hot for them to stay in.

On July 7th yet another group of justices was appointed, but the list of those indicted has now grown to thirty-one names additional to the earlier, and some of these are clearly "of the baser sort." There is a William Lyndraper, a 'mercer,' a tailor of Loundres, and several of Lancashire places Halewod and Whritthynton. "All these are now staying and are received in divers parts of the realm," and the king orders his commissioners "to follow and arrest all the persons indicted, on pain of forfeiture of all they can forfeit, to do this with all the diligence and solicitude which they can, and charges all sheriffs, mayors, bailiffs, and others to be assisting, obeying, and attending unto them." Even so, the end had not come, for on October 4, quite six months from the commission of the felony, the principal outlaws were still at large, as shown by the further appointment of two justices "to attack the bodies of John de Dalton" and the rest, but there are now included his mother, Mary, two brothers named de Hoicroft, Randolf, parson of the church of Bastelden, and some twelve others. They are no longer to be brought to the Tower, but committed to the custody of the keeper of the Marshalsea prison of the King's Bench.

Whether any of them were ever actually caught the records do not say; for when, after eagerly following entry after entry by means of the excellent index with which all these printed and edited volumes are provided, I found no more reference to the Raid; it seemed unbelievable. Perhaps the explanation is in the circumstances of the time. The king was extremely busy, and there is a note that the Roll was "made in parts beyond the seas of the chancery of King Edward III to wit of England the twenty- first and of France the eighth (year) of the time when the same king stood in the siege of the town of Calais." A second reason for the dropping of the pursuit may have been the rapid increase of the terrible scourge of the Black Death, which swept over England as well as the Continent, and disorganized many things.

It already has been noted that Robert de Dalton, after some months imprisonment in the Tower, was restored to freedom; and in the year following he received commission of Oyer and Terminer, together with several others (one of them Henry Haydok) to hear the complaint of Robert de Shirbourn that the Abbot of Cockersand and several others had assaulted him and his servants at Cockerham "whereby he lost the service of the latter for a great time." A fine of forty shillings was the penalty.

On May 4, 1350 an interesting item relating to John appears: "Pardon to John de Dalton, knight, for good service and because he has humbly submitted himself to the king's grace of the king's suit for the ravishment of Margery" etc. Good service in the wars, it has been remarked, was almost always a sufficient reason for overlooking any crime. Not only was John pardoned, but in June of this same year he received a grant "that he may the better maintain himself in the king's service and for his fee by reason of his stay with the king," of £50 annually.

Among the possessions of Robert de Dalton had been the "farm revenue of the town" of Apethorp in Northamptonshire, given him by charter, and worth £39. 19. 3d. yearly. At the Inquisition post mortem (which was always held after an owner's death), it is stated that John de Dalton, knight, his son, aged thirty years and more, is the heir. The Manor of Bispham has been valued at £22. 8. 4d. a year; and 40 acres in Dalton itself (the Manor) were held of Roger la Warr, Lord of Manchester, in socage, by the rent of 9d. yearly. Bispham was held of Sir William Ferrers by the rent of 3s 4d. Sir John also held lands in Whittington of the Lord de Coucy by knight's service, where the free tenants rendered 43s. 4d. and the tenants at will, for 60 acres, 40s. The Ferrers were one of the most noted families in England, allied to the Despencers, the Poynings, and the Greys, and the villages of Woodham Ferrers in Essex, near Chelmsford, still bear their name. John added to his possessions by receiving or perhaps only renewing, a grant for life of the Manor of Hackinsall, in 1357, and the same of Halewood, in 1367. There were there a house and garden, and 40 acres of land, held of Sir Robert de Holand in socage by 7s. yearly.

John was continuing his fighting career, for there is mention of safe-conducts granted to three men, one of whom, James Penquadyk, was a prisoner of Sir John de Dalton, in July 1359; and in December of the same year is a treaty between Robert Lord Fiennes, Constable of France, and Sir John de Dalton; and a capitulation of him and two others to the Lord of Fiennes, dated from Auxerre.

Another version of “Sir John’s Raid”
Source: Found on the Internet while searching for Sir John Dalton in England.

The history of Beaumys Castle in Swallowfielf in the Royal County of Berkshire.

Moated Beaumys Castle stands next to the A33, just within the bounds of the parish. The original 13th century house was owned by Geoffrey Le Despencer, Lord of Martley in Worcestershire. The moat was dug for his nephew, Hugh Le Despencer, the favourite of Edward II. When disgraced by Queen Isabella in 1322, Hugh fled the court and Mortimer, her lover, raided many Despencer lands including Beaumys. It was later the home of the De La Beche Family. Sir Nicholas rose to the rank of Lord De la Beche and was made Constable of the Tower & Seneschal of Gascony. He oversaw the education of the Black Prince, but died childless in 1345. His widow, Margery, remarried twice in short succession and her husbands are believed to have died of the Black Death. It was while staying at Beaumys with Prince Lionel, and several other children of King Edward III, that this widowed lady was abducted by her lover. Sir John Dalton broke in with sixty-four Berkshire and Lincolnshire squires and made off with, the not so reluctant, Margery to Scotland.

In the year of 1350, on May 3^rd, a “Pardon was given to Sir John Dalton, Knight, for good service to the King and because he has humbly submitted himself to the King’s grace for the ravishment of said Margery”. This pardon was for the same reason that Sir John’s father was pardoned. Good service in the war was almost always a sufficient reason for overlooking a crime. In June of the same year, Sir John received a grant, “that he may better maintain himself in the King’s service” and was given 50 pounds annually.

The below story of Sir John de Dalton 1^st was copied from a book I found at the LDS

Family History in SLC Utah. Book 942.7 B4lc Vol. 70. This is the book where the original story of this abduction of Margery de la Beche comes from.

Title; Lancashire Inquests, Extents and Feudal Aids.

PART lll. A.D. 1313 – 1355.

JOHN de DALTON, KNIGHT.

August, 1341 - Before William Basset, Thomas de Seton and Roger de Blaykeston, justices, bv the oath of John Flemmyng, chivaler, William de Lee, chivaler, John de Molyneux, chivaler, Alan de Eccleston, John de Dytton, Thomas de Syngleton, Richard de Adburgham, John del Clogh, Robert de Prestecote, Adam de Bredkirk, Robert de Hurleton and William de Heton, who say that on Sunday in the Octaves of Easter, 21 Edward III. John de Dalton, chivaler, Matthew de Havdok, Thomas D'Ardern, chivaler and others unknown, wiih Margery, late the wife of Nicholas de la Beche, came to the manor of Holland, then vacant, which is the manor of dame Matilda de Holand, she being ignorant of their coming, and on Monday next following [9 April] the said John de Dalton married the said dame Margery and they dwelt there until Roger le Archer, sergeant at arms, came into Co. Lancashire, bringing the King's writ to the sheriff to take the said John de Dalton and others and proclaiming that nobody should assist the said John under pain of forfeiture to the King, by virtue whereof John Cokayn sheriff and the said Roger le Archer went to the said manor of Holland to take the said John de Dalton; that the said John and others then left Lancashire and went to Yorkshire where they remained some time; they then returned to Lancashire, but afterwards went away in the night into northern parts where they still live, but in what place or county they are is not known. That on the 29th day of March in the said year, Robert de Dalton, father of the said John de Dalton, had goods and chattels to the value of 40, which immediately after the octave of Easter he took away privately, except the corn growing in the towns of Bispham and Hale, to the value of 100s. He also had lands and tenements in Bispham, Hale and Dalton to the value of 10 marks yearly.

25 June, 1347 -
Commission to Gilbert de Suthworth, Matthew de Suthworth, Thomas de Suthworth, Robert de Prestwych, John de Holme, Adam de Wodbury and Richard de Lynales to arrest whenever found in Co. Lancashire or elsewhere the above-named evil-doers.

31 March, 1347 -
Order to John de Dalton knt. to have Margery de la Beche, without injury to her person, before Lionel, keeper of England, and the king's council at Westminster, before the quinzaine of Easter at latest.

1 May, 1347 -
Order to John Darcy, constable of the Tower of London to receive the above-named evildoers.

19 July, 1347 -
Pardon for Gilbert de Haydok, of Co. Lancashire and to Thomas de Charneles, Knt., because of innocent of the said abduction.

31 July, 1347 -
Order to supersede the exigent against Robert de Dalton, father of John de Dalton, as he has now come to the king in parts beyond the sea.

The below was copied from the Calendar of the Fine Rolls: Part II extracted by Michael Cayley, DGS Archivist.

Vol VI, Edward III, 1347-1356, pub. HMSO 1921;

2 April 1347, Reading.
Order to the sheriff of Lancaster to take into the king’s hands John de Dalton’s lands following the abduction of Margery de la Beche. (Other sheriffs were ordered to seize Margery’s own lands.)

Vol. 8 page 170 - 1358
John son of Robert de Dalton had custody of lands at Borwick belonging to John (son and heir of Ralph de Berwick) who was a minor.

1369 -
Sir John de Dalton, who abducted Margery de la Beche, died holding 40 acres in Dalton from Roger la Warr at a rent of 9d a year. Ellen wife of Robert de Urswick was executrix.

1369 -
Sir John de Dalton died, holding Bispham from Sir William de Ferrers and others at a rent of 3s 4d: his heir John, a son by a later wife, was then 6. In his settlement he names his wife Ellen (who later married Robert de Urswick of Upper Rawcliffe) and his younger son Robert

1369-
Sir John de Dalton held lands in Whittington from the Lords de Coucy for knight's service. The free tenants paid a rent of 43s 4d. The tenants at will paid 40s for 60 acres.

Vol VIII, Edward III, 1368-1377, pub. HMSO 1924: Calendar of the Fine Rolls.

20 Nov 1369, Westminster.
Commitment to Ellen late the wife of John de Dalton, ‘chivaler’, of the wardship of two parts of all the lands late of the said John, who held in chief, to hold the same, with the issues thereof since the death of John, until the lawful age of the heir, together wth the marriage of the said heir, rendering at the Exchequer 20l. yearly by equal portions at Easter and Michaelmas for the wardship, and paying 100l in half-yearly installments of 25 marks at Easter and Michaelmas for the marriage; and so from heir to heir.

20 Oct 1369
The escheators of Northampton and Lancaster were ordered to take into the king’s hands the lands of the late John de Dalton, pending an inquisition.

Vol. IX, Richard II, 1377-1383, pub. HMSO 1926: Calendar of the Fine Rolls.

14 Nov 1377
Commitment to Robert de Ursewyk and Ellen, his wife …. of the keeping of two-thirds of all the lands late of John de Dalton, ‘chivaler’, who held in chief, to hold the same from 21 June last until the lawful age of John’s heir, rendering 20l yearly at the exchequer by equal portions at Michaelmas and Easter, maintaining the houses and buildings pertaining to the said two-thirds, and doing all charges incumbent thereon.

This story is about William de Dalton, the second son of Sir Robert de Dalton.

A 14th CENTURY ROYAL SERVANT: WILLIAM DALTON, by Michael Cayley.

This is a draft of a article that will be published in the DGS Journal in the future.

The earliest Dalton for whom there are fairly full records is Sir Robert Dalton, who dominates the opening pages of Part I of Mrs. Leaning's Dalton Book. Sir Robert was closely associated with Thomas, Duke of Lancaster, whose efforts to separate Edward II from his favorites led to his own downfall, and to Sir Robert's subsequent imprisonment in 1322. Sir Robert was subsequently released, and gained the favor of Edward III, becoming Keeper of the King's Woods at Blackburn Chase, and in 1343, Constable of the Tower of London.

Given Sir Robert's own enjoyment of royal favor, it is scarcely surprising that one of Sir Robert's sons was able to enjoy a successful career in what was to develop over the centuries into the civil service. The son was William Dalton, and the following account of his career is based mainly on information about him in a 1993 publication of the Yorkshire Archaeological Society - Beverley Minster Fasti. (The publications of county archaeological societies often include transcripts and translations of documents and records of great value to genealogists, and the Yorkshire society has been particularly active in making such items available.) The Fasti were the official register of Beverley Minster, and William Dalton features in them because he held office there.

Like many medieval career officers of the crown and great lords, William was a clerk in holy orders. His official career took him to positions of considerable influence. By 1336 he was clerk of the Great Wardrobe. Probably he started in a lower - and probably more informal - role before that. He became Cofferer of the Great Wardrobe in 1338, and was Controller from 1344 to 1350. William appears to have been unaffected by the cloud which hung over his family following the abduction of Margery de la Bèche by Sir John de Dalton and others in 1345: whereas his father was briefly imprisoned, there seems to have been no interruption to William's career. Clearly there was no possibility that William was directly implicated, and he must have been high in royal favor. It is quite possible that William's intervention helped to shield the family from further punishment, although there is no direct evidence for this,

In 1351 - with, I assume, royal encouragement - William began three years' study at Oxford, though he never took a degree. According to the Yorkshire Archaeological Society publication, he became Keeper of the Great Wardrobe in 1353, a position he held until 1358: but this conflicts with the list of Keepers in the Handbook of British Chronology (3rd edition published in 1986 by University College, London for the Royal Historical Society), which shows John Buckingham and William Retford successively occupying the post in these years. I am not sure which is right, but suspect the Handbook is more likely to be correct as its list is based on extensive earlier research. At the least, William was occupying one of the top posts in the Wardrobe. He is recorded as still being "king's clerk" in 1361, and Edward III was clearly rewarding him for services after that.

What was the Wardrobe? As often with the royal household, the name bears little relation to the function. The Wardrobe was the administrative heart of the monarchy. The Keeper - its most senior officer - headed the royal treasury and secretariat - a sort of (in today's UK terms) super permanent secretary in the civil service. The Controller was the Keeper's Deputy, and the Cofferer was third in rank. These were posts of substantial power, and in the fourteenth century, clerks in holy orders occupied them. (In the following century Keeper and Controller were generally knights or barons, though the Cofferer - who oversaw the clerical functions of the household - remained customarily an ecclesiastic.)

The main way a monarch rewarded a loyal servant in holy orders was through profitable ecclesiastical appointments, the duties of which would commonly have been performed by someone he either paid or allowed to keep some of the perquisites of the post. Plural livings were the norm for the higher officials. Accordingly, we find William simultaneously occupying a number of ecclesiastical posts across the land. Some of these are likely to have been in his own father's gift. This is almost certainly true of one of the first livings for which there appear to be records: by 1339 he was rector of South Dalton. Before that, from 1337 to 1338, he was rector of the moiety of Eckington in the diocese of Chester and Lincoln. In 1341 he added to the South Dalton rectorate being rector of Brigham in Cumberland, and from then on ecclesiastical appointments multiplied. The easiest thing is just to list them:

From 1342 until at least 1353, prebend of the Royal Free Chapel at Hastings.

From 1343 to 1367, prebend (member of the chapter) of Lincoln.

From 1345, rector of Houghton-le-Spring in the diocese of Durham.

By 1347, prebend of the Royal Free Chapel at Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

From 1347 to 1353 or 1354, sacrist at Beverley Minster (hence his name in the Minster Fasti): Adam de Heselwick became rector of South Dalton in that year, so probably the two of them arranged a swap. (The sacrist's official duties were to look after the vestments, relics and other treasures of a religious establishment. William would have arranged for one of the clerics or retainers at Beverley to undertake the doubtless often tedious real work of the office.)

From 1349 to 1358, prebend of St Andrew's, Auckland, in the diocese of Durham.

From 1363, canon at York and prebend of Knaresborough.

From 1367, prebend of Wimborne in the diocese of Salisbury.

In addition, at some point he became vicar of Bulwell in Nottinghamshire.

The number of these appointments is a confirmation of the importance of the Role William Dalton filled. They would have brought him a comfortable income, which would have been supplemented by other perquisites of office. William died in 1371, six years before the royal master to whose service he had devoted himself.

Another article about William Dalton:
Copied from Vol. 17 No. 1 of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society.

Sources: According to A B Emden in his Biographical Register of the University of Oxford, page 538, William de Dalton was Rector of Echington in Derbyshire in 1338 and Rector of Brigham in Cumberland in 1343.

Dr C Moor, Vicar of Gainsborough, found in an unpublished manuscript, 'Lincoln Cathedral Clery', William Dalton, obit. 1372.

It calls William, son of Robert Dalton knight'. William was appointed Rector of Ecklington in 1337, and resided at Oxford for purposes of study in 1351-53.

'William de Dalton was presented to the Rectory of Bulwell, in Nottinghamshire, on 25th November 13-22 and to that of Croxton in Lincolnshire, on 30th March 1324. He was granted the prebend of Bridgenorth and became Deputy Keeper of the Great Wardrobe. On 20th February 1335 he seized the King's goods, lately in the hands of Robert de Taunton, deceased. He was presented to a moiety in Skynton Church, Derbyshire on 20th July 1337 and became the Parson of South Dalton in Yorkshire. While serving with the King's army in France, he was captured by men of the King of Bohemia and taken to Germany, where he was detained for some time. His benefice was kept open for him, however, until he returned to England, on 3rd December 1339. After he returned he became the King's Clerk in the diocese of York, and took up the Benefice in the gift of St. Mary's Abbey, York, which had been granted to him on the 29th, of July 1333. He was presented to the Rectory of Brigham in Cumberland on 10th January 1341 and to the prebend of Brightling in Hastings, on 28th April 1342. He was said to be a son of Sir Robert Dalton, Knight. He was given a grant in Wingham, and the prebend of Farendon in Lincoln on 25th July 1343. He was presented to the Rectory of Houghton le Spring, in Durham, on 30th April 1347. He was also granted the prebend of Ketton and became Controller of the King's Household, on 31st August 1349. He was given a grant for his long service to the King and his household and the right to have the same wages and wear the same robes in perpetuity, as when he was the Controller on 20th January 1350. He was given a prebend in Aukland, on 6th June 1350, and a further prebend in Lincoln, which he obtained on the death of Henry de Edenston.

On 8th May 1350, it is recorded that at that time he held Houghton, the Sacristy of Beverly and prebends in Aukland, Bridgenorth and Hastings, so he must have been a very rich and important man indeed and he moved in the highest Court circles. William de Dalton lent money to the Prince of Wales for play and was repaid 4.13.4d. on 15th May 1352. He was made Keeper of the Great Wardrobe on 25th June 1353, in 1355 various men owed him £160 and in 1358, £300. He was granted a further prebend in York on the death of Simon de Brise, and he was apparently an intimate friend of Baron Guy de Brien. On 24th January 1355, he was granted a further prebend in Hereford, on the death of Simon de Ledbury, and he became the Dean there. He exchanged the prebend of Carlton cum Dalby for the prebend of Ketton with William de Hilgate. He was charged by the King with the duty of delivering cloth for the Justices of the Bench and the Baron of Exeter in 1357. He was the King's Inspector of Shipping and he was given the task of enquiring into the wool trade in Norfolk and Suffolk. He went overseas again on these duties in 1358. When he returned, he exchanged his prebend in Aukland with William de Custantia for one in Ripon. He was collated to a prebend of Knaresborough in York on 2nd August 1363, and, in 1365, he sued in the Roman court to the damage of the King's Realm, and opposed the new taxation. He was confirmed in the prebends of Houghton, York and Ripon in 1367, and these together were valued at 170m. He died on 8th March 1372, voiding his prebend in York to Cardinal St. Eustace.

The Kings whom William served were Edward II and Edward III, and the war was the 100 years war between England and France, during which the Flemish wool weavers were on the English side. The wool trade was an extremely important one at this time, as the wool was grown in England, but woven in the Low Lands, so the Keeper of the Great Wardrobe, with the task of looking after all imports of cloth, was an important position. William must have been not only a very rich priest, with all his prebends, but also a very influential man.

The mystery of Ralph de Dalton:
In the June 2003 issue of the Journal of the Dalton Genealogical Society, there is a article

By Michael Cayley (DGS Librarian) about this Ralph de Dalton.

“Ralph de Dalton was one of the senior officials in the Wardrobe, though, as far as I have ascertained, he did not hold one of the other three jobs. The first mention that I have found of him is in a Patent Roll entry of 5 November 1297. He and John de Sheffield were empowered to buy 4,000 quarters of wheat and 4,000 quarters of oats for the army, which was being assembled to fight the Scots. In succeeding years Ralph was repeatedly involved in provisioning the army. He clearly enjoyed Edward I's trust, and in a letter of 12th December 1298, asking the sheriff of York to gather provisions, Edward concludes;

"And to accomplish, supervise, forward and diligently procure all these things, we send to you our dear clerk, Ralph de Dalton, to whom you may give credence upon these matters, according to what he will tell you more fully for us”

Some of the orders about army provisions reek with a level of detail and precision, which exemplifies the bureaucratic mind down the ages, but also illustrates the constant problem of provisions going bad. A Patent Roll entry of 17th January 1300 is a good example: "Mandate to the sheriff of York to purvey out of the issues of his bailiwick, except the bailiwick of Hendemesse, both from those who are indebted to the king, in allowance of their debts, and from others, within liberties and without, 1,400 quarters of wheat, 1,500 quarters of oats, 1,000 quarters of malt, 300 quarters of beans and peas, well dried and crushed. Cause the corn to be ground and well bolted, so that no bran remain, and to put the flour in good, strong and clean barrels, tightly and well beaten down, and into every barrel to put three hazel-twigs, and salt on the top, to keep the flour from going bad. To cause this to be done by lawful and experienced good men, so that it may last without going bad for a year or, if need be, two years. To cause the above things to come to Berewyk-on-Tweed; so as to be there on Mid-summer Day at latest, to be delivered there to the receiver of the stores. He is to pay those from whom these things are taken, or bought out of the issues of his bailiwick, and the arrears of his account, from such leviable monies as he is answerable for, at the Exchequer next Easter. For the taking, purchase and carriage by land or sea of these goods, he is to be allowed in his account. For the furtherance of the business, the king has sent Ralph de Dalton, king's clerk, to whom he (the Sheriff) is to give credence."

Ralph was also empowered to raise substantial bodies of troops for the Scottish wars, pay them, and resolve problems with them over bad money. Some soldiers took the king's money and just returned home. Some feudal landlords refused to supply troops. Ralph was regularly one of those appointed to investigate such affairs in the North of England, and to ensure the punishment of offenders. He continued to be involved in matters relating to the forces fighting against the Scots until 1316. Then Edward II started to turn his attention to other matters, including internal distension’s. Ralph had to keep accounts for his expenditure, and for the debts he incurred on the king's behalf. It was a long time before some of these debts were repaid. For instance, in 1310, the Abbot of Salley "lent" five oxen, five cows and forty sheep. One assumes the "loan" ended up in military stomachs. But by 1317 the Abbot had still not received payment.

Ralph's duties extended to finance. On 21st November 1301, he was appointed to collect the levy of the fifteenth in Northumberland. In 1303, he audited the operations of the collectors of customs dues in the North of England. In 1304, he, John de Insula and Richard de Havering assessed another tax, the tallage, in Yorkshire and Northumberland. In Northumberland a Richard de Dalton helped them. He was probably a relative of Ralph, who was a more junior official in the Wardrobe. In November 1303, Ralph was sent to tell the Bishop of Ely to place on deposit money which the Bishop owed, probably on behalf of the king, to merchants of the Florentine firm of Spini.

Being a royal official did not guarantee safety, even in England. The Patent Rolls contain a commission of 20th July 1303, for Richard de Havering and Ralph de Dalton to investigate an attack in which other officials of the Wardrobe were robbed of money, which they were conveying to Edward I in Scotland.

Given the Dalton links with Thomas of Lancaster, perhaps the most interesting duty entrusted to Ralph de Dalton was to act in 1322, as one of the auditors of the accounts for the lands and goods confiscated in the North of England from Thomas and his supporters. There is no explicit proof that Ralph was a member of the Bispham Dalton family, but this seems very probable, given that by 1322, William, son of Robert de Dalton, was already an official in the Wardrobe. On 30th March 1324, the king granted to William, the livings of Bulwell in Nottinghamshire and Croston in Lancashire. William is likely to have obtained his position in the royal household through Ralph's influence. Anyway, it seems unlikely that two Daltons had overlapping periods of service in the Wardrobe without being related. If he was one of the Bispham Daltons, Ralph will have faced a conflict of interest in his role as auditor of the confiscated lands. But auditors were not then subject to regulation of the kind, which has caused discomfort to some major firms recently.

If we look at Ralph's career, we find that all his recorded functions were carried out in the North of England. This is what the medieval records call "beyond Trent", since the river Trent marked the administrative boundary between the north and south of the realm. Ralph appears to have been either the only representative of the king's staff in the North, or one of the top representatives. He probably retired shortly before 1327, when we find him seeking to get his final accounts for provisioning the royal armies signed off. By then William de Dalton, destined to rise even further, was well ensconced in the royal household.”

Of note is that this Ralph de Dalton may be an Uncle of William de Dalton. His father my have been another son of Sir Richard de Dalton II. Further research is needed to tell us.

8- SIR JOHN DALTON II, first son of Sir John Dalton I was born about 1363 in Lancashire, England and who bore arms as a Knight Bannaret, for Richard II, in 1389. He married Isabell Pilkington the daughter of Sir Richard Pilkington, Knight. They had the following Children:

1- Rychard.

2- John

3- Robert (our line)

Sir John Dalton also was married to Elena Boteler (Married to Nicholas Boteler of Rawcliffe in Amounderness, after Nicholas' death, she remarried Sir John Dalton of Dalton. Her third marriage after the death of Sir John was to Sir Robert Urswick, Kt., Justice of the Peace for Lancashire.

John Dalton II would also become a Knight, and within a few years, just like his father, he was in a great deal of trouble. As the “County History states, he seems to have been a lawless man” but he was only ex-communicated and not outlawed like his father before him.

What happened was that Sir Thomas de Lathom, the third of the name in succession, had married the daughter of Sir Roger de Pylkyngton, and left her a widow, and the mother of a baby girl born two months after his death in 1383. Early in the following year, a writ was issued to the escheator to give Isabel, the widow of Thomas de Lathom her reasonable dower of the Manor of Lathom. She was to take oath not to marry without the consent of the Duke of Lancaster, who also had the wardship of her little daughter Ellen. Either the Duke's consent was not asked, or it was asked and refused, but Isabel and Sir John de Dalton in this year, 1384, married, and were promptly excommunicated, on the ground of kinship. John’s grandmother had been a de Lathom, and possibly the two were cousins, though I think it was a case of second cousins at best. What they went through is briefly set forth in the following, taken from the Calendar of Papal Registers for 1391, dated 4 July, from St. Peter's, Rome, Boniface IX being Pope.

"To the Bishop of Lichfield, Mandate, if the facts be as stated, to absolve from excommunication incurred, and, a salutary penance being enjoined, to dispense to remain in the marriage which they have contracted, John de Dalton, knight, and Isabella Rogeri, relict of Thomas de Lathurn, knowing that they were related in the fourth degree of kindred, contracted marriage in the hope of more easily and quickly obtaining licence from the Apostolic See to remain therein, than of obtaining a dispensation to contract it. Afterwards a separation (divortium) was made by the ordinary, and subsequently Walter Dysse, a Carrnelite, S.T.M., nuncio in the realms of England, Castile and Leon, Navarro, Portugal and Aragon, granted them dispensation to contract marriage anew, which they did. It is now doubted by some whether Walter had sufficient power. Offspring, past and future, is to be declared legitimate".

Below is another record of the above action:

From the Victoria County History of Lancashire, Vol. 3, Page 251-

Joan, daughter of Hugh Venables, married Sir Thomas de Lathom who inherited the family lands in 1370 and died in early 1382. They had a son Thomas who died in 1383, leaving a widow Isabel who subsequently married Sir John de Dalton. Isabel and Sir John were related within the fourth degree, and because they knew this when they married they were excommunicated. They separated and were given a license to remarry by a papal dispensation in 1391. The dispensation declared that their children would be legitimate.

In the pleas held at Lancaster Castle before the King's justices on August 29th, 1401, Sir John de Dalton was summoned to answer Robert de Urswyk on a plea that he pay over 100 pounds, which was under a bond dated at Rawcliffe in 1384, to have been paid in Preston in 1385. When the bond was produced in court John refused to acknowledge the writing his and put himself in patria and Urswyk did the same. Dalton then protested that John Botiller of Rawcliffe, the sheriff and John Laurence and William de Pemberton, two of the Kings coroners, were kinsmen of the plaintiff and demanded that they should not meddle with the arraying of the panel but that it committed to the third coroner. The case is resumed in the following February when Dalton's attorney produced royal letters of protection inhibiting his lands and rents from molestation seeing that he was staying in the retinue of Henry Percy warden of Berwick-on-Tweed in the King's obedience. It was finally granted that the suit remain sine die.

Source: Copied from the book; "Knights of the Shire of the County Palatine of Lancaster"

The next record we find about Sir John Dalton II is in this record of a “Seal”

It concerns only the confirmation of the farm of Apthorpe, on June 18th, 1402, to John de Dalton and Isabel his wife, and Roger their son evidently been born before this date. It is also about this date that one of the Harleian MSS shows a seat with the Dalton coat of arms used by Sir John-that is, the Lion rampant on a field with cross-crosslets. This seal is appended to a deed respecting lands in Ulnes Walton.

In this year, 1406, the Patent Rolls have a reference which throws a light, though scanty, on the knight's activities. It regards a "license for the king's knight, John de Stanley, steward of the household, to purvey six hundred quarters of wheat, and one thousand quarters of rnalt by himself and Adam Bentley and John de Dalton, his servants or others in Ireland and take the same to the Isle of Man for the garnishing and victualling of the castle and peel in the Isle".

Although there were other men named John and Dalton living at this time, and one cannot always be certain that one in particular is meant rather than another, yet in this case the connection with Sir John de Stanley points to it. For Isabel de Lathom sister of the late Thomas de Lathom whose widow our Sir John had married, was the wife of Sir John de Stanley, and they would be brothers-in-law to each other.

The Isle of Man, upon the attainder of Percy, Earl of Northumberland, had been granted to Sir John Stanley, thirteen members of whose family ruled there successively, his great-grandfather having been the first to assume the anus which to this day are borne by the Earls of Derby. The Sir John Stanely thus related by marriage to our Sir John de Dalton had been made Lord deputy of Ireland long before, in 1385; and confirmed by Henry IV and Henry V. He held the Isle of Man "by homage and the service of two falcons" payable on the day of the coronation, and had also had to leave to fortify a house at Liverpool which he had newly built.

The death of Sir John Dalton II was in the year of 1407 as shown in the record below:
From the reference to an Inquisition p.m. in the eighth year of Henry IV (1407) it is deduced that it was in this year that the second Sir John de Dalton died. The reference is given in the V.C.H.I. Northamptonshire where the history of Apthorpe is dealt with. This little town, which at the Domesday Survey had land for twelve ploughs, six acres of meadow, and a league of woodland, had originally been granted to Robert de Dalton in 1340. It lies in the northwestern part of the county, on a tributary of the river Nen. Sir John, if he were six years old in 1369, would only be in his forty-fifth year in 1407, so he did not die of old age, and therefore probably died or was killed in some fight. He left two sons, of whom the elder would be, if he were born in 1384 or 1385, within a year of his parents' marriage, about 23. He had a younger brother, Robert, and his mother seems to have lived until 1414, as in the 14th volume of the Fine Rolls, under date of June I 1414, the first year of the reign of Henry V, is a mention of "Isabel, late the wife of John de Dalton, 'chevalier’.

9- ROBERT DALTON, the second son of Sir John Dalton II was born about 1380 in Byspham, Lancashire Co. England, married Margaret Holker and they had three sons:

1. Richard (our line)

2. William, married Elizabeth Beaconsall of Lancashyre and lived to old age, having

a son Richard, who became a priest, and a daughter, Anne, married Seth Worsley

of Croston; there were several other sisters.

3. John, of Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire.

Margaret Holker may have been from the family that Holker Hall is named after. There is a Upper & Lower Holker township in Cartmel Parish in Lancashire. The Preston Family owned this Hall for many years.

Sixty-one years after the Norman Conquest, the religious establishment at Tulketh Castle was moved to Dalton and took the name of the district, Furness Abbey.

The estate of Holker originally belonged to the Cartmel Priory and Furness Abbey.

There is Holker Hall still in use today about 10 miles North of the ruins of Furness Abbey. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries the land was granted to the Preston family of Lancashire.

What has been found about Robert Dalton of Byspham is the following:

Robert Dalton was called upon, with others, to furnish his share of the fighting forces continually needed in France. In May of 1425, the Patent Rolls have the following entry:
"Commission to Ralph Boteler, Knight and three others, one being John Pykering, to take at Calais, the musters of the following captains and of the men at arms and archers about to proceed to France in their companies and to certify the council as to the sufficiency of their array”

John Holand, Knight, 24 men at arms and 72 archers.

Gyoffrey de Wryghtyngton, Esquire, 6 men at arms and 18 archers.

Roger Fyenes, Knight, 30 men at arms and 90 archers.

Robert Dalton, Esquire, 10 men at arms and 30 archers.

Richard Banastre and Thomas Scarsbrok, Esquire, 10 men at arms and 30 archers.

Gilbert Banastre, 3 men at arms and 9 archers.

There are numerous others, but these names show us a group of knights and esquires travelling together, who were neighbors at home.

Now as you have read in the above Patent Rolls entry, our Robert Dalton is named as an esquire, not as a Knight. We have no other proof that he was a Knight like his son after him or his father before.

The next event we find with a date comes after the death of Robert's eldest brother (Rychard), when he sued Katherine, his widowed sister-in-law, concerning a house, garden and forty acres of land in the Manor of Halewood. This was in 1443. In 1472, 29 years later, he and his eldest son leased this land to Robert Lathom of Allerton for 39 years, at a rent of 40s. Who the "Margaret" was whom Robert married I have no evidence for, but he had three sons. The second son, William, married and lived to old age, having a son Richard, who became a priest and a daughter, Anne, who married Seth Worsley of Croston. She had several sisters; but the third son, John, is not in evidence as having married. The line therefore continues with Robert's eldest son, Richard Dalton of Croston, and of so much of Bispham as he inherited at this father's death, for according to a statement in VCHL. “It was not the whole manor but various lands in Byspham that now remained”

From the VICTORIA COUNTY HISTORIES of LANCASHIRE:
Vol. 3 page 151 - 1347

In 1472 Robert Dalton of Bispham and his son & heir apparent Richard leased their Halewood lands to Robert Lathom of Allerton for 39 years at a rent of 40s.

The Dalton Family from Kingston-Upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England:

Starting with John Dalton, the third son of Robert Dalton, with other information about this line of Yorkshire Dalton’s.

Note: At the end of this chapter is a descendency chart of this John Dalton.

Whether or not there is a link between the Thurnham (Lancashire) and the Yorkshire Dalton families there is no doubt that the Dalton's were well established in Kingston-upon-Hull by the middle of the fifteenth century.

I believe that the third son of Robert Dalton and Margaret Holker, whose name was John Dalton, born 1448 is the John Dalton they talk about in these papers below. You can read about this pedigree in Chart 1, Volume 1, page 7 of The Journal of the Dalton Genealogy Society.

This Dalton family was friends and did business with the Cely family during this time period, about 1482.

This Dalton family were merchants of the staple (the staplers traded in wool and had their chief office at Calais) and must have been both prominent and prosperous, for, as early as 1487, John Dalton was elected Mayor. The city had been founded in the reign of Edward I and the first mayor was appointed in 1332.

All through the sixteenth century this Dalton family kept on producing the Chief Citizen; several of them serving twice or thrice over a period of years, often holding the office of Sheriff before being elected Mayor. One of them, Thomas Dalton an Alderman and Merchant, was also very holy. His will is dated 1497.

In the text below are Dalton’s names mentioned many times. Of interest is the writing and spelling style of medieval England, in which I have not corrected.

The Cely Papers:
SELECTIONS FROM THE CORRESPONDENCE AND MEMORANDA OF THE CELY FAMILY, MERCHANTS OF THE STAPLE - A.D. 1475-1488

The Cely Papers cover 1475-1488, and are a marvelous mirror into the lives and lifestyle of a very wealthy family of English wool merchants, members of the Staple of Calais and owners of business and residential property in London as well as some estates in Essex. They traveled regularly between England and the Continent on business and carry on a fascinating correspondence that passes, often with amazing speed, between London and wherever family members or members of the firm happen to be on the Continent, but most usually they can be found at Calais or in their London headquarters on Mart Lane.

“Right worchipfull Syr and Broder after all dew recommendacyon hayd I recomaund me unto you and unto my Broder and yours Rychard Cely. Further more Syr plese yow to wit that here hese be Gysbreth van Wynbarow and I have sold hym the vj sarplers of the Cottes old wooll that freeth hymsellff acordyng to your remembrance alsoy Syr wenyng to me that they wold have hayd Syr your new wool for they causyd me to kep hyt iiij or v dayes and then the sayd the staple wherof was to schoortte notwythstandyng had they not bene I had soold partt therof un[to] Arnold Johnson from Andwarpe and as for fells I can seell non ytte God knowes I wold be ryght glayd to do that myght be plesur unto you in sayelles or oder wayes and yf ony Holonders come done I schall do my best in sayelles to my otterst poyer boyth in wooll and ych feelles. I remember well that yow desered to my best for Wylliam Maryon felles and Syr ytt schall nott be so forgetten and Gud wyll And Syr wat plese yow that youre wyll schall be don wt much money as I have by me yt schall be redy for yow whersum ever ze wyll have ytt wheder ytt be at Calley, Bruges or Andwarpe Syr they laytter end of next weke I purpose in to Flaunders Alsoy Syr I have wretten your affor thys that I have sent yow yowr gounysse the wych I trost ze have resevyd or thys tyme alsoy Syr your horson doyth weell God sawe them and Syr thys weke have we hayd in iij loodes heey for you Syr as towchy[ng] all oder maytters I schall do my best and hath done to sum of them and I have reseyved of Prestun xxs fls Andwarp and I spoken wt the oders that ow you money but yette can I geet no moch therof Syr I have lent un[to] Andrew Hawes iiijli but I havve and swerte thereof that I shalbe wt at my plesur and the byll ys mayd in my name and he sayeth wher yow come ze schuld have a bargyn of hym to pay me agayne &c. Syr I pray yow that I may be recomaundyd unto my mayster your fayder and moder. No more to yow at thys tyme but our Lord send yow lang lyff and gud to His plesur and yours”

At Calley wt owt gattes the xxij day of September. Your Broder JOHN DALTON

Worschipfull Broder after all dew recommendacyon hayd I recommaund unto yow &c. Further mor Syr it ys so that we lack pelltes her and we have sent for to Sent Tamos1 and ther we bene promesyd to have ij c for yow and I have sent to Bryges and to Sandwych for mo pelltes for we must have mo for yow and Syr Robard Byngham sent to me for iiij nobles of queyt rent for the ground ze have bowght of Andrew Howes and I told hym I know not therof yff it were yowr dewte to do I wold answer thertto wherffor I pray yow of answer, alsoy Syr it ys soo that Botrell hase be uncurtese in hes dedis for he hath thawn in at yor wooll house wendow dengke among yowr felles and syn that tyme he hase qeffun a man that spreyd the dongke abrood iij or [sic] stripes and toke hes forke frome hym albeit I have spoken wt hym and he hes uncurtes in his saying for the sayd Botrell has bene owt of towne unto thys same day and no Syr I schall schew the matter to ye lewtenant and so forth to the consell purpossyd No more to yow at thys tyme but Jhesu kepe you. At Calles the xix day of Jenever. Yours to my power - JOHN DALTON

Ryght interly beluffyd Broder after all dew recomendacyon I recomaunde me unto yow as hartely as I can or may. Furthermore Syr I have receved ij letters from yow by the wych letters I ondersatnd of your grett hevenes for your farder on whose sole God have mercy. Furthermore Syr it is so that Gysbreth van Winbragh hayth bene her syn yow departyd and he wylle here agayne he telles me within xiiiij dayes after Candellmes and syeth the xj sarplers cottes woolle of yours on the wych I have taken a gode peny of hym for alsoy syr here came non Holanders syn yow went but won felyschip of Delff the wych I kod seell non flec[es] and no be sent ovyr in to Ynglond and ther payd at plesur your faders byll at plesur amontes unto xvli> vjs viijd ster: your broder Rychards xliiijs ster: and Wylliam Maryon byll iijli xs viijd ster: Alsoy Syr syn yt ys soo as it is of my mayster your fayder in the reverence of God take it pacyenly and hurt nott yoursell for that God wyll have done no mane may begense. Alsoy Syr all your felles here don well but ze schall onderstand that we lacke peltes and here is non thow that bene be at xxd a dossene Alsoy Syr syn yow departyd I have bene wt my broder WYLLIAM DALTON at Bruges and there I bowgh vic peltes after iiijs iiijd a lb and lytyll moor the wych ze schall all waye have the ton hallffee of as long as I have ony the wych peltes schalbe here schortely sum of them and betwyxt thys and fast I trow to have Ml peelltes Syr I schall do my best for yow in all maner of theng belongyng unto yow as I wold do for owr broder WYLLIAM DALTON so helpe me Jhesu. Alsoy Syr I trowe to have of Gysbreth van Wynesbragh xl or lli of Carolles at ys comyng he told me that he wold do ys best to geet them for me at xvjd the pond in case be that yow wyll that I schall send them ovyr to yow or to any oder for yow send me worde and it schalbe don and that I can do for you or maye do in any oder matter. Your horsyn do weell, God save them. Alsoy Syr wheras we ette the good podynges the woman of the hosse that mayd them as I onderstand sche ys wt schylde wt my broder that had the jeyscheskeyne1 of me Syr all owr howsswold by nam recomaund them unto yow and the bene ryght sore of your hevenes in gud fayth Syr I pray yow that I may be recomaunded untow yowr broder Rychard Cely and ych of yow cheere oder in the reverence of owre Layde who preserve yow. A Calles the xxviij day of Jennar.

Your broder to my poer JOHN DALTON

Ryght worshipfull Sir I recommaunde me unto you like it you to witte that [I] purveid at my beyng in Holond samon of the Mase of the whech all is not comyn but sithen it is so that I have but on furkyn comyn I send it to you be Thomas Bernard servaunte wt John Reynold mercer to delyver you prayng you that it will plese you for opon it and take out thereof on the on half for yourself & that other half that it will plese you to put sum pese of wode in the seyd furkyn because of bressyng of the fyshe that shall be left therin that other half & that it may be sent to my Jone & this letter therwithe ether be carte of any go to Leyc1 or elles by the carears of Derby that they may cary it upon horsbake2 & that I besech ys in as yely hast as may be plese it ye to understond that Will Cely told me that ye had no knowlege from me for payment of the xxli of your curtesy delyvered unto Will Lemster my servaunte to my gret marvel Sir ye shal be acertened for treuth contynent upon the knowlege of your curtesy and kynd delyng to me of the seid xxli I made xxli be exchaunge and sent ye the letter of payment with a pronosticacion & an almynake of the makyng of master John Laste & this I sent ys all bounden & seled togeder be Will Drynklow & sithen Will Cely told me I delyverd unto hym the seconde letter of payment to send over unto ye like as I have writen to ye in a letter sent over at Shorttfyd the wheche I truste ye have receyved. Item if my other samon hade comyn I entended to have done other but I pray to excuse to my good marsters that it is no better howbeit it swam sith Candlemasse Will Cely can tell you mor than I dar writ. Jhesu kepe you Writ at Calles the xij day of Marche. your WYLLIAM DALTON

DALTON”S mother lived at Leicester. Perhaps Jone was his wife.

Both THOMAS and JOHN DALTON address the Celys as brothers.

THOMAS DALTON”S reference to his ship and his 'prisoners' looks like what is now called piracy.

Brother Jorge I pray you as my speciall trust ys in you that ye wyll remember me for to pay to Wylliam Norton of London, draper, for me xl or lli what ye may spare me but for xij or xiiij dayes for I owe hym iiijxx li. of the whyche he hathe a byll of my hande for I loke yevery day for tydynges owte of Holand for my schypp & my prisoners, & brother, this payment lyeth my pore onestie apon wherfore I beseche you to remember me as my speciall trust ys in yow above all others & by thes my hanwryteng I promes yow to answerr yow at yewre pleseur what ye delyver the seyd Wylliam.

From yowres to my power

THOMAS DALTON

History of the Wrays of Glentworth, 1523-1852: By Charles Dalton.

Source: From the book; 929.242 W924d in the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

"The family of Dalton," says a writer in the Eastern Morning News of March 27, 1876, ranked among the first families in Hull for more than a century (from the time of Henry VI. to that of Queen Elizabeth), and the elder branch was seated in the immediate vicinity till a much later period, whilst a younger branch, several of whom received the honour of knighthood, and intermarried with the noblest families in Yorkshire, settled at Hawkeswell, in the North Riding."

The first of this family of whom we have any authentic record was John Dalton, merchant of Hull, who died in 1458, leaving issue by his wife Joan, two sons. The eldest, Thomas Dalton, was twice Mayor of Hull, and dying in 1502, was buried in Holy Trinity Church, where a chantry bearing his name was ordained by his will, and founded shortly after his death by his executors. His grandson, Thomas Dalton, of Sutton in Holderness and Kingston-upon-Hull, was a man of some note. He was a " merchant adventurer," and was thrice elected Mayor of Hull. He married Anne, second daughter of Sir Robert Tyrwhitt of Kettleby, by whom he bad issue six sons and three daughters. He died in 1590, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, where is a gravestone, with an eulogistic inscription to his memory, which is still in good preservation.

Sir William Dalton, third son of Thomas Dalton and Anne Tyrwhitt his wife, was Recorder of Hull, and subsequently was appointed Attorney-General to the Northern Court at York by James I, and was knighted at Whitehall, 28th April 1629. He married Theophane Booth, of the ancient family of Booth of Killingbolm, co. Lincoln. Sir William Dalton died Jan. 1649, and was buried in York Minster. His only son, John Dalton, settled at Hawkeswell in Richmondshire, and married the Hon. Dorothy Darcy, daughter of Conyers, Lord Darcy. He espoused the cause of Charles I during the Civil Wars, and while serving as Lieutenant- Colonel to his brother-in-law, the Lord Darcy, was mortally mounded (while conducting the Queen from Bridlington to Oxford) when crossing the bridge at Burton-upon-Trent, and after lingering nearly a year, died 24th July, 1644. This gallant Cavalier officer left, with other issue, a son William, who was knighted by Charles II, as a reward for his father's services, in 1665, and a son Thomas, of whom presently. Sir William Dalton of Hawkeswell married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bart. and was father of Sir Marmaduke Dalton, Knight, and Sir Charles Dalton, gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. The former was accidentally drowned in 1680. By his wife Barbara Bellasyse, he left two daughters and co-heirs, who died without surviving issue, the estates passed to Sir Charles Dalton, who died unmarried in 1747, and the estates passed to his nephew, the Rev. Charles Dalton (son of Rev. Darey Dalton, younger brother to Sir Charles Dalton), Rector of Hawkeswell, who also died unmarried, and was succeeded by his brother Francis Dalton one of the six clerks in Chancery. One daughter, Mary Dalton, married to Henry Gale of Scruton, Esq. Thus the senior branch of-the Dalton’s became extinct in the male line to the Gales.

The junior male branch of the family, however, still flourished. This branch was descended from Thomas Dalton, the aforementioned younger son of Lieutenant -Col. Dalton, the cavalier officer. This Thomas Dalton, who resided at Bedale, married Anne Wyvil, daughter of Sir Marniadake Wyvill, and left a son, John Dalton of Bedale, whose only son, James Dalton, entered the army, and became Capt. in the 6th Reg. of Foot. Captain Dalton was drowned in the West Indies in 1742, while on active service with his regiment. He left an only son, John Dalton, who obtained a commission in Col. Duncombe's Regt. of Marines. This John Dalton afterwards entered the East India Company's Service, and was made Captain of a Grenadier Company. He greatly distinguished himself in India, and was made Commandant of Trichinopoly in 1752. A staff officer gives in Orme’s History of Hindostan, and in the Records of the 1st Madras European Regiment, a full account of Captain Dalton’s services in India. A memoir of Captain Dalton for private circulation was published in 1878.

This gallant officer was born at Limerick in 1725, where his father was then stationed, and he died in 1811 at Sleningford, and was buried at Tanfield, where his wife, who died in 1880, was also buried.

"Lieut. Norcliffe and Sergeant Cattle, and about thirty men of the Fourth Dragoons having passed through the wood, and gained the lead, were distinguished for the dauntless manner in which they plunged into the enemy's column, and trampled and cut down their opponents; the Lieutenant was severely wounded in the head. Lieut. Norcliffe lay bleeding on the ground during the night, but was found at daybreak in the morning by some of his own men." (Cannon's Records of 4th Light Dragoons. Page 74)

Colonel Dalton had five sons and five daughters. The eldest son, John, served in the Peninsular War as Captain in the 4th Dragoons. The second son, James, became a Commander in the Royal Navy. The third son, Charles, was in the Royal Artillery, and served in the Walcheran Expedition in 1809, and was present at the siege of Flushing; he died a Major General (on the retired list) in 1871. The fourth son, George, was a Captain in the Royal Engineers, and died 1854. The fifth son, William, was a Captain in 9th Regiment of Foot. The eldest daughter of Col. Dalton, Susanna Isabella, married Colonel Dalbiac of the 4th Light Dragoons (afterwards Lieut. General Sir J. C. Dalbiae, K.C.H.), and accompanied her husband to Spain when his regiment was ordered there on active service. Sir William Napier in his History of the Peninsular War makes honourable mention of this lady's bravery and conjugal devotion on the hard fought field of Salamanca. After praising the courage and endurance of the English soldiers at that battle, Napier adds, "and the devotion of a woman was not wanting to the illustration of this great day.

The wife of Colonel Dalbiac, an English lady of a gentle disposition, and possessing a very delicate frame, had braved the dangers and endured the privations of two campaigns, with the patient fortitude which belongs only to her sex and in this battle, forgetful of everything but that strong affection which had so long supported her, she rode deep amidst the enemy's fire, trembling, yet irresistibly impelled forwards by feelings more imperious than horror, more piercing than the fear of death.

Thomas Norcliffe Dalton, third son of Captain Dalton, fell at Inkermann, while gallantly leading his Regiment into action. The following obituary notice appeared in the Illustrated London News:

"Major Thomas Norcliffe Dalton, of the 49th Regiment, was killed at Inkermann whilst gallantly leading his men into action, aged 35. His loss is deeply deplored. The gallant officer was son of John Dalton, Esq. of Sleningford Park, Co. York, late a Captain in the army; and grandson of Lieut. Colonel John Dalton, of Gleningford, whose father, John Dalton, Esq., acquired a high reputation in the East India Company's service.

The immediate ancestor of the family, John Dalton of Hawkeswe who served as Lieut. Colonel to his brother-in-law, the Lord Darcy, in the great Civil War, was mortally wounded on passing the bridle of Burton-upon-Trent whilst conducting the Queen from Burlington to Oxford. Major Dalton served in the 61st Regiment in the Punjaub campaign of 1848-9 and was present at the passage of the Chenab, and in the battles of Sadoolapore, Chillianwallah, and Goojerat, and with the field force in pursuit of the enemy to the Kyber Pass, for which he received a medal and two clasps. From the 61st he exchanged into the 49th at the Depot in Cork, in 1853, and served with that gallant Regiment ever since its arrival in the East. At the conflict of the Alma, Major Dalton whilst leading his men up the hill had his horse shot under him and in the hard fought affair of Balaklava he also took a prominent part."

Continuing with our Lancashire line of Dalton’s:

10- SIR RICHARD DALTON, the third son of Sir Robert Dalton of Croston, was born in 1445 and died in 1486. He married Elizabeth Fleming a daughter of Sir William Fleming of Wath, Yorkshire.

Richard and Elizabeth had 2 children:

1- Ellen Dalton, Lady Garter, born about 1465

2- Sir Roger Dalton, born about 1469. (our line)

Elizabeth Fleming is probably descending from the Michael le Fleming II family that were the first holders of the moiety of Furness and was Lord of Aldingham in Furness, 1127, and Lord of Urswick. He held Bolton manor, 1127, which he gave to his daughter Godith, whose descendants in the Copeland family inherited it. Furthermore he held the manors of Bechermet, Frissington, Waddington, Rottingham, Waddicker, and Arlocdon. But his main property consisted of the manors of Aldingham and Urswick.

The line continues with Robert's eldest son, Richard Dalton of Croston, and of so much of Byspham as he inherited at this father's death, for according to a statement in VCHL VI, p. 101, note 10, it was not the whole manor but various lands in Byspham that now remained.

Croston parish is in Leyland Hundred, and lies about 10 miles north of Byspham Hall, as the crow flies. A family named Fleming had been settled there since 1292 and earlier, and there was also a branch at Wath, in Yorkshire. The Dictionary of National Biography shows a Richard Fleming, in this century, as Bishop of Lincoln and founder of Lincoln College, Oxford. He died in 1430, and was buried in Lincoln Cathedral. Sir William Fleming of Wath died in 1470, leaving one daughter married to Thomas Hesketh, and another Elizabeth, married to Richard Dalton of Croston and Byspham. In Croston Church is a low four-light window, the moulding over which terminates in carved heads, and it is over an arched doorway. Level with the sill of this window are shields; the first of Ashton quartering Lea; the third Hesketh quartering Banastre; and in the middle Dalton quartering Fleming. In heraldic language this is: "Azure crusiuy a lion rampant, guardant argent", which we recognize as our own arms, and "Barry of six argent and azure, in chief three lozenges gules" which are the arms of Fleming both here and in Lincoln Cathedral proving it to be the same family.

The Manor of Croston was held between Hesketh and Dalton in 1472. Ten years later old Robert Dalton (uncle to Robert and great-uncle to Richard) was claiming "a moiety of the Manor of Croston, with twenty messuages, etc. in Bispham, Mawdesley and Dalton, against Margaret Dalton, widow (his niece by marriage) and Richard Dalton, Esquire, and Elizabeth his wife". Before this, Richard and Elizabeth had conceded to her brother John an annuity of 46. 8d. Charged on lands in Croston and Mawdesley and in 1478 leased to Thomas Hesketh and his wife, all their interest in the lands of William Fleming. There was not only the family tie, but good family feeling in evidence, for in the 1489 Disputes between Thomas Hesketh and Richard and John Dalton were referred to arbitration.

The next event with a date comes after the death of Robert's eldest brother (Rychard), when he sued Katherine (his widowed sister-in-law) concerning a house, garden and forty acres of land in the Manor of Halewood. This was in 1443. In 1472, 29 year later, he and his eldest son leased this land to Robert Lathom of Allerton for 39 years, at a rent of 40s. (VCHL III page 151.)

11- ROGER DALTON, the son of Sir Richard Dalton was the Patriarch of Dalton Hall, Lancashire and was born about 1470 and married his 1^st wife, Miss Anne Radcliff. He also married Miss Standyche and then married his second cousin Margaret Farynton and last, Jane Jakes.

Roger and Anne had 4 children:

1. William. (our line)

2. Roger.

3. Sybell.

4. Thomas.

Roger Dalton was the husband of no less than four wives, and the father, in all, of 16 children. The eldest of all was William, his successor and heir, who gave him 13 grandchildren. His second son, Roger, left no issue, and his eldest daughter, Sybell, who grew up and married William Wolberd Drapt, is recorded as leaving no issue either.

Roger's second wife was a daughter of one, Mr. Standyche, and his third a Farynton, but as Flowers puts it, he had "no issue by his second or third wife’s". He made up for it by his 4th wife, Jane, daughter and one of four heirs of Roger Jakes of Barkemsted and of Mawde Shordyche. Jane gave him 8 sons, the eldest of whom, Lawrence Dalton, became a Herald, (Norroy, King of Arms); the only son (of Jane) to survive and marry. Of Jane's five girls, all married as follows:

Margaret married, first, Richard Pawley of London, Fishmonger, who was the father of Walter and Dorothy Pawley. She married; secondly Thomas Weston of London, tailor, who was the father of Jane, married to Andrew Roo, of London, a fat maker and "a Portugal", and her sister, Margaret Weston, wife of a shoemaker, Nicholas Collet, of London. Evidently Roger Dalton’s second family migrated in force to London.

Margaret Dalton’s sister, Anne, however, married Thomas Baker of Barkensted. There is no doubt that this was the Berkhamsted, within 30 miles of London, in Hertfordshire, which was Jane Jake’s native place. Anne Baker had five children: Awsten, Raff, Ales, Ellyn and Cyssely. Her sister Elizabeth married Francis Colbarne, calling not specified, and had two girls, Jane and Elizabeth.

Out of this whole great family, only two males carried on the family name. William with whom therefore we deal next and his half brother, Laurence, who requires a separate notice.

The story of Laurence Dalton, Norroy, King of Arms:
Of note before we tell about the life of Laurence Dalton; There has been a debate about this Laurence Dalton being the real father of our Walter Dalton I. He is named in Mrs. Leaning’s “Dalton Book” as being Walter’s real father. The American Daltons believe that Walter’s father was Roger Dalton of Bispham Hall, born 1531.

According to an article in Vol. 9 No. 2 of the DGSJ, the following is quoted; Lawerce, though he married Dorothy Breame, had no sons, so far as is known, and the Junior Dalton line is not descended from him. The facts are that Roger Dalton, born abt. 1469 was married 4 times. By his first wife he had a son, William Dalton, by his second and third wives he had no sons, and by his fourth wife he had Lawrence. William had three sons, the first of whom he had no issue, the second was Thomas from whom the Thurnham Dalton line is descended, and the third was another Roger. It is from this Roger that the Junior Dalton line, including Walter and the other Witney Dalton's are descended.

Laurence Dalton's career began in the reign of Henry VIII, and advanced steadily through all the grades required. These were: Calais, Rougecroix, Richmond and finally Norroy in 1556. There were four degrees in the calling of a Herald, beginning with pursuivants of arms, passing into one of six offices of Heralds, known as Lancaster, Richmond, Chester, Somerset, York and Windsor. Above these were two provincial Kings of Arms, Clarenceux for the south, Norroy for the North, and above all to them, Garter-King of Arms.

The Heralds were created to attend Dukes in martial executions and in all things endeavor themselves for the defense of their Society. The King of Arms have by Charter power to visit the noblemen's families, to set down their pedigrees, to distinguish their arms, and in the open market-place to reprove such as falsely take upon them nobility or gentry. They also can order every man's exequires and funerals according to their dignity and to appoint unto them their arms or ensigns

The ceremony of creating a Herald was carried out in an assembly of all the existing Heralds, presided over by Garter or his representative, and was impressive enough. He was invested with a collar of SS, a satin coat richly embroidered with gold and took oath upon a copy of the Gospel on which was laid a sword "that longeth to Knighthode", and a King of Arms as in addition actually crowned and ammoniated with wine, while his coat of velvet, richly embroidered. The oath was to obey, and secret, "a man of silence", to have knowledge of all the noble gentlemen within his marches, to teach

pursuivants and heralds, and register all acts of honor. Heralds were of course men of good birth, masters of courtesy’s employed by the sovereign on errands of state, as when Le Neve (York) and Henry St, George (Richmond) were sent to France to escort Charles I's Queen, and received of her 1,000 French Crowns.

There business in the ordinary way was to carry out Visitations and the series of these provide us with these pedigrees that are raw material of the genealogist.

Lawrence Dalton entered the College of Arms between 1536 & 1538 as Calais Pursuivant extraordinary.

In November 1546, Laurence Dalton, Gent. was promoted to be Pursuivent Rouge Croix. On April 12 1547, Laurence Dalton, late Rouge Croix, to be Richmond Herald. While he was a Richmond Herald, on May 16th, 1549 he had a warrant for 29p. He had a pardon, dated at Westminster, April 26, 1556. It was soon after that he was raised to be "King of Arms" and nominated Norroy, but his patent did not pass until Sept. 6 1557, nor was he created until Dec. 8 & 9 1556.

The record of his creation, found in the British Museum is also printed there and reads as follows: (Note that the text is written in the usual Court Latin)

The Creacion of Laurence Dalton (Alias Ptychemond Herald at Armes) to be Norrey Kinge at Armes on Frydaye in the mornynge by ix of the Clocke the ixtli of December, 1558, Anno primo Regine Elizabeth in the Duke of Norffolkle Chambre within the Savoye of London.

"Item fyrst the Duke beinge sett in his chayre all th offycers at Armes there present put on theyre Cotes at Armes excepte onelye the seid Rychemonde and knelyd downs afore the Duke and then the Duke commandyd and toke unto Clarencieux to reade a byll signydd with Queen Elizabeth's hande, which gave the seid Duke awethorytie to create the seid Rychemond to be Norrey Kinge at Armes, accordyng to his letters Pattente geven unto hym of the same a twelve month before, althowghe hyt bare the date and style of the Quene that deade was, all which tyme (for the most parte) the said Rychemond hadd byn in the Northe attendinge upon therle of Westmorland the King and Quene lyuetenante there, which lycence reade openlye, Clarencieux began to reade his othe, Rychemonde leyinge his hande on a boke and a swerd, the swerde holde by Sir Nycholus Strange lyinge on a boke, the boke holden by Lancastre, which othe endyd, Rychemond kyssyd the boke and swerde, then Laneastre reade the pattent where, at the word of Erigimus Roudgecroix kyssinge the collar of SS. delyvered hyt to the Duke who put it on Rychemond's neeke. And at the words of Nominamus Norrey, Roudgedracon kyssinge the bole of wyne delyvered the same to the Duke who powryed parte thereof on Rychemonde's heade at the __ which all the offyce seid alowde Norrey Kinge at Armes. And at Vestimus, Yorke as afore delyvered the Cote of Ames to the Duke who put yt on Norrey's backe. And at Coronamu, Wyndsor lykewyse delivered the Crowne which the Duke put on Norrey's head, and then the pattent was read owt, which done, Laneastre kyssed yt and delyvered hyt to the Duke who gave it to the Norrey with a admonycion to observe his othe"

As Norroy, Lawrence was "Principall Herauld and Kinge of Armes of the North East and West parts of England from the River of Trent Northward" Following his appointment, on 7th February 1558 he went with William Colbarne, Rouge Dragon, to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where the Earl of Westmorland, Queen Mary's Lieutenant of the North, was in command of a large English force at Berwick keeping watch on the border with Scotland, to commence a Visitation of his part of England. Payments were made to Lawrence for eight yards of crimson damask and two yards of crimson velvet for his livery and two coate of arms painted with fine gold wrought with "oyle", one of damask the other of sarcenet. He was also paid 6d a mile for his journey to Newcastle with three men who were paid 3d a mile each. For his diet and entertainment at Newcastle Lawrence received six shillings a day and his men 6d a day each.

The record of his Visitation (taken from MS Anatis C 9 is printed in Surtees Vol. 122) It is perhaps not surprising that the visitation records the Dalton pedigrees. In the case of the Dalton’s of Bispham in Lancashire the pedigree starts with the marriage of Sir Robert eldest son of Sir Richard and finishes with the marriage of Alyce, one of the daughters of the second Sir Richard. There is opposite this in the margin of the manuscript a note "Loke” more VI leaves afterwards", but in the manuscript there was only one leaf afterwards, so part of the pedigree may be missing. Before this pedigree there is a pedigree of the Daltons of Kyrkbye Mysperton in Yorkshire, descending from Sir John, the second son of the first Sir Richard of Bispham, continuing down to a Roger who married four times, though the note of the fourth marriage is suspect.

Lawrence's Visitation was not recorded in the College of Arms, and various suggestions have been made to account for this (see Surtees Vol. 122) that his proceedings were irregular because they were made before his creation ceremony (although in a later Court decision it was held that proceedings of a King of Arms after appointment but before creation were valid); that he never made ready his fair copy and delivered it to the College as he ought to have done: or that the copy was lost.

Lawrence returned to London in October 1558. Mary, his wife died on the following 17th of November and Lawrence was created by Elizabeth acting through the Duke of Norfolk on the 9th of December as already mentioned. On 12th December he officiated as Norroy at Mary's funeral bearing "the target with the garter and the crown". Presumably he also played a leading role in the proclamation and accession of Elizabeth.

Lawrence died three years later, as already mentioned, and was buried at St. Dunstan's-in-the-West, in Fleet Street, here his wife Dorothy was later buried with him, and the effigy from his monument or tomb is reproduced at the beginning of this article. The effigy shows him with his hands clasped in prayer wearing not only his crown and tabard but also the collax of SS mentioned in the record of his creation. This was the badge of the Lancastrian princes to which Henry VII added the portcullises and Tudor rose shown in the effigy drawing. The Church of St. Dunston's-in-the-West has since been rebuilt and there is now no trace of Lawrence or his monument.
End.

By 1500, Roger Dalton was associated as heir with his father in the grant of various lands in Croston and Mawdesley, but reserving the Manor and demesne lands. At the same time they granted to Bartholomew, son of William Hesketh, the reversion of messuages in Longton and Croston, with the fourth part of a water mill in Croston, and the third part of lands called Selynhurst. The various deeds and documents show that just as Richard had gone further afield, and established himself at Croston during his father's lifetime, so Roger was doing the same thing, and building up a family inheritance of increasing value. He is described on the pedigree as "of Dalton Hall, Yorks, and after, of Croston". Roger married Anne, a daughter of Sir John Ratclyff. Anne was born in Wymerly in about 1475. In the Herald's Visitation of Lancashire in 1613, Roger is the earliest Dalton ancestor named in connection with the Ratclyffs. The date of their marriage is not known, but as a grant of various tenements in Bispham was made to Roger's son William as early as 1500, it must have taken place some time before that.

The Ratcliff or Radclyff family, the Ancestor says "were truly among the most ancient Lancashire families." (See Genealogists Magazine, Vol. IX, p. 137 (March 1941) (Review of Book of the Radclyffs 1940). Anne Ratcliff's family descended directly from King Henry II of England through his mistress, Rosemund, and their son William, Earl of Salisbury 1173-1225.

In 1525 Roger Dalton's name is on the list of the land-owners in Croston Parish contributing to the Subsidy, others being Thomas Ashton, Henry Banastre, Robert and Bartholomew Hesketh, and a few others.

The Will of Roger Dalton of Croston:
Roger is described in the pedigree as of Dalton Hall in Yorkshyre and after of Croston. He was still possessed of lands in Yorkshire at the date of his will, but presumably moved to Croston at some stage. Perhaps on succeeding at the death of his father.

The will of Roger Dalton was proved in the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury an I have obtained from the Public Record Office a photocopy of the enrollment of the will and of a document enrolled with it in the records of the Court. Both are in Latin, sometimes much abbreviated, and is not easy to transcribe. I may have made some mistakes in my transcriptions, but I think they are substantially accurate. I think that for some of the information they give, they are worth transcribing fairly fully.

The will reads:
"In the name of God Amen the tenth day of March in the year of our Lord 1531 1 Roger Dalton Knight of sound mind and good memory but sick in body make my will in this form. First I bequeath my soul to omnipotent God and the blessed Mary and all the saints and elect of the church and my body to be buried in a small religious tomb in the church of Saint Michael the Archangel of Croston in the chancel of the same church with the permission and the provision of the curate of the same for the time being in office next to the tomb of my father (corpus quo meum ad sepeliend in parva sepultura ecclesiastiva sancti Michis Arch ecclie de Croston in cancello eiusdem cum licencia et providencia curati siusdem tunc pro tempe existen juxta sepultur patris mei). Then I give and bequeath a mortuary payment to the vicar of the same church according to the Act made and constituted by the King. Next I give and bequeath to my daughters, Anne, Margaret, Joan and Elizabeth two hundred marks. Then I give and bequeath to my son Richard, four marks yearly until he be promoted to some benefice of ten pounds or more a year (donec sit promotus ad aliquot benefice decem librarum annuatim aut ultra) And I wish that all other things are at the disposition of Roger Jakes, Thomas Jakes and my son Richard whom I ordain make and constitute my true and lawful executors that they themselves may dispose for the benefit of my soul or as may seem better to them Then I ordain and constitute Henry Faryington, Knight Richard Bonaster, Bankes Knight and Richmond supervisors of this my testament and will. Then I wish that any debts not paid at the date of my death may be paid out of my goods. In witness of which things I have placed on this my will of one sheet of paper my seal, given the day and year above stated."

The will was proved in London on the 6th December 1543 by Roger Jakes and Richard Dalton. Enrolled with the will in the Prerogative Court records is a document even more difficult to transcribe than the will and also in Latin. But in substance I think it says;
"Know all men present and future that I, Roger Dalton, Knight, have given determined and by this my document confirmed to Anthony Lathom, gentleman, Thomas Bond, Vicar of the Church of Croston, Richard Clerk, Vicar of the Church of Leigh and Adam Bonaster, all my messuages, lands, tenements, meadows, grazings, pastures, rents and all their appurtenances in Dalton in the County of Yorkshire (in Dalton in comitate Eboraci) to have and to hold all and singular these messuages, lands, tenements and other premises aforesaid to Anthony Lathom, Thomas Bond, Richard Clerk and Adam Bonaster and their assigns for ever to the use and intent of fulfilling this my last will and testament annexed to this document so that after fulfilling the said will all the said messuages, lands, tenements and other premises may remain wholly and rightly to the heir's of me the said Roger in perpetuity."

There then follow sentences in which Roger appears to say that he and his heirs will warrant and defend all the said premises to Anthony Thomas, Richard and Adam against all men and he appoints Thomas Lathom as his lawful attorney to obtain possession of all the said premises for Anthony Thomas, Richard and Adam.

The document was sealed by Roger with his seal in the presence of John Smyth, chaplain George Nelson, Thomas Graveson, John Stopforth and others on the 10th day of March in the 23rd year of the reign of King Henry VIII (1531).

Source of will above: R.N.D. Hamilton of the DGS in England.

Notes on the Radcliffe family:
The Ratcliff or Radclyff family, the “Ancestor” says "were truly among the most ancient Lancashire families, but genealogists have failed to carry their descent beyond that reign of Henry 2^nd, which for reasons well known to the antiquary must in most cases mark a limit for the keenest pedigree maker". The date of this marriage I do no know, but as a grant of various tenements in Bispham was made to Rogers son William as early as 1500, it must have taken place some time before that. He was associated with his father in 1527 in the making of a grant, which mentions William Dalton the elder, his uncle, as still living then. He had two sisters, both named Ellen. Probably the elder died in infancy. In the Addenda to the Harleian containing Flower's pedigree, it is stated that Ellen Dalton was the wife of one of the Rigby family, and married secondly Sir Christopher Barker, Garter King at Arms. Of note: John Luther Dalton wrote down the name as “Radcliff.” The old English spelling was Ratcliff.

12- WILLIAM DALTON, the third son of Sir Roger Dalton was born 1513, of Byspham in Lancashire; his second wife was Jane, daughter of Townley of Townley; he had no issue by his first wife but by his second wife had at least eight children:

1. Robert of Thurnham Hall, married Ann Kechyn, the daughter of John Kechyn, who purchased Cockersand Abbey in 1544.

2. Thomas, married Anne, daughter of the Richard Molyneux, Earl of Sefton. This was a family "among the oldest of our Norman houses." Sir Richard Molyneux, father of Thomas' wife was at the coronation of Queen Mary in 1553. Lord Byron was among the descendants of this family.

3. Anne, who married a Mr. Westmer.

4. Roger – (our line)

5. Richard.

6. Three unnamed daughters.

With William we reach the second of those much larger families which distinguish the Daltons of the Tudor period. His first wife was Margaret, daughter of Sir William Torbrock of Torbrock Hall. Gregson gives Dalton of Bispham among the Torbrock alliances, but in spite of the seven children born to them, none left descendants. William married secondly, Jane, daughter of Sir John Towneley. Some documents claim Jane was illegitimate. In the Chetham Society's publication (Vol. 98) dealing with the Visitation of Lancashire in 1533, the Towneley pedigree shows:

Sir John Towneley had married one daughter into the Hesketh family; another to a Shirburne, and a third to a Banastre.

(Editor's note: There is no mention of Jane Towneley marrying into the Dalton family in this list of his daughters' marriages, which gives credence to the claim of illegitimacy.)

The Towneley Family:
Towneley Hall was the home of the Towneley family from the 14th century until 1902. Charles (1737 - 1805) was one of the 18th centuries best known collectors of antique sculpture and gems. It is rumored that the Hall is haunted by a spirit whose visits were limited to once every seven years, when its thirst for vengeance had to be satisfied by the untimely death of one of the Hall residents. Legend says that Sir John Towneley (1473 -1541) was said to have offended and injured the poor of the district by enclosing some of the areas Common Lands, making it part of his estate. As a punishment, his soul is said to wander about the Hall, crying out: "Be warned! Lay out! Be warned! Lay out! Around Hore-Law and Hollin-Hey Clough.”

The lands were granted by the Honor of Clitheroe, Roger De Lacy, to Geoffrey, his son-in-law, in the year 1200. Over the centuries many alterations have been made to the Hall, so many that the Hall is now totally different to its original layout. The first major alterations in 1628 involved the use of 54-1/2 tons of lead for the roof, purchased from the local Thievely lead mine, and the last were in the early 20th Century, when the Art Galleries were added. At one time the main entrance was moved. To the left of the ‘new’ main door can be seen a smaller, filled in doorway, the original entrance.

Towneley Hall has been a museum since 1903 but before then it was the home of the Towneley family who lived on the estate from the mid-thirteenth century. The Regency Room wing contains traces of their first house on this site. The lower floor has six-foot thick mediaeval walls and one Gothic window dating from around 1460.

For three hundred years the Towneleys were in favor with the Royal family and three of them received knighthood, but during Elizabeth I reign their lives changed. Protestantism became the official religion but the Towneleys were Catholic and refused to give up their faith. As a result, John Towneley (1528-1607) was fined and imprisoned for almost 25 years. Even after his release he was forced to stay within five miles of Towneley Hall.

Other members of the family fought for Catholic causes. During the Civil War Charles Towneley fought on the Royalist side and died at the Battle of Marston Moor. Several Towneleys made their names in science and the arts. Richard Towneley (1629-1707) was the first person to measure rainfall in England for a length of time, but the best known member of the family was Charles (1737-1805), a connoisseur whose collection of antique sculpture and gems was thought to be the best in the country.

In 1877 the last male heir in the family died and the Towneley estate was split between six heiresses. The Hall became the property of Lady O'Hagan. Realizing that she could not afford to maintain the building if she kept up her charity work, she sold the Hall in 1902 to Burnley Corporation to be used as a museum and art gallery. The building was handed over almost empty and the first exhibitions the following year were of borrowed items.

In 1533 William Dalton "demised to Thomas Hough an acre of the hill and half an acre in the town meadow in Croston" (VCHL VI. p. 92).

When William Dalton died in 1543, there devolved on his eldest son, Robert (not our line), the care of his widowed mother (Jane) and the younger members of the family. Trouble and change were the lot that lay before them, due both directly and indirectly to fidelity to the Roman Catholic faith in which they had been bred, and which brought ever more and more severe penalties on its adherents. The Reformation begun under Henry Vlll, had involved, with the suppression of the Monasteries in 1536 and 1539, not only religious difficulties, but immense changes in land ownership, since thousands of acres and a vast amount of real property were thrown back into the hands of the Crown, and by it sold or leased to new owners.

The Will of William Dalton, son of Roger Dalton of Croston:
By R.N.D. Hamilton of the DGS.

William Dalton the elder son of Roger Dalton by his first marriage is described in the pedigree as "of Bispham", though he must have continued to hold the Croston property, under some settlement of it. In the pedigree his second wife Jane is described as the "bass' daughter of Sir John Towneley, the Towneleys being another important Lancashire family. However, in the addenda and corrigenda in the volume of the Harleian Society in which the pedigree appears, there is a note that Jane Towneley is not called a bass daughter in the Visitation of Lancaster in 1613, p 32, where the issue of her son Thomas is given. It will also be seen that in the pedigree Ellen, William's aunt is described as Lady Garter. It is noted in the addenda and corrigenda that she was the wife, first of Rigbys and secondly, of Sir Christopher Barker, Garter, King-at-Arms.

There is a copy of William's will in the Towneley manuscripts held in the Manuscripts Department of the British Library, where I have inspected it. It is in a bound volume and is numbered 1474 in that volume. There is a note at the front of the volume, Evidences of Lancashire Gentry, and the manuscripts were purchased at a sale at Sotheby's in 1883. I noticed that besides the will there were other documents containing the name Dalton, but I did not have time to note them, particularly as some at least were in Latin, though William's will itself was in English.

The Will reads:
"In the name of god Amen. I, William Dalton of Bispham in ye County of Lancs. Esq. 28th November in the year of Henry VIII ye 35th and in the year of our lord 1543 my testament and last will duly made in manner and form following first I ordayne Jane my wife my Executrix. Also I give unto Richard my youngest some all my portion of goods which remain over and above my debts and funeral expenses. Also I will yt that my said wife by the decease of Richard Radcliffe myne Uncle shall have all the goods which I ought to have. Also I will yt that my said wife shall bestowe such sums of money, as she shall receive for the marriage of my son and heir upon the marriage of my four daughters, Jane, Margery, Anne and Margaret. And also I ordayne Sir Henry Ffaryngton, Knight and Raufe Bradshaws, Esq. to be supervisors of this my said will and to the same I have sett my seale and subscribed my name the day and year first above written. These being witnesses, Alexander Hoghton, Sir Robert (?) John Waddington, Thomas Bowker, Ann (?) and Thomas Rydinge.

As indicated, there were two names, which I was unable to decipher.

There is no mention in the will of the manor of Bispham or any other lands. These would probably have descended under the terms of some settlement or the law of inheritance of land. William's mother was the daughter of Sir John Ratclyffe and it looks as though his uncle Richard Radcliffe had died, but the distribution of goods under his will had not yet been carried out at William's death. It would look from the pedigree as though his daughters Jane and Margery were daughters of the first marriage and Anne the daughter of the second marriage, while Margaret is not specifically shown but may have been one of the "3 others" of the first marriage, particularly as the first wife's name was Margaret. However, there is small pedigree in the margin to the manuscript containing the copy will showing them all as daughters of the second marriage. There is no mention in the will of any sons of the first marriage (possibly because they had died) and no mention in the will of the first and second sons of the second marriage, possibly because they were considered adequately provided for by the settlements of land as Robert the eldest, who established the Thurnham estate and sold Bispham and Croston, almost certainly was. Sir Henry Ffaryngton is appointed supervisor as he was in William's fathers will. It is particularly interesting to see that Alexander Hoghton is a witness to the will for the Hoghton's were another important Lancashire family, living at Hoghton Tower five miles east of Preston.

Some history of Robert Dalton 1529-1578, first son of William Dalton:
Although the eldest son, Robert, is not our line, it becomes necessary to outline his history because the lives of the four brothers are closely intertwined.

Robert died without male issue. One might assume that there were female issue; however, I have no records to suggest names of possible children.

Robert's widowed mother, Jane, is mentioned in several transactions. The earliest is in 1545, when "Matthew, son and heir to Christopher, conveyed to Jane Dalton, widow, and Robert her son, heir of William Dalton, deceased, a messuage called Keyhouse, with land in Croston; also a close of pasture called Castlepol Hey in Mawdesley." In 1546 Jane claimed a close called Castle Place against Henry Croston; also lands called the Paradise, Oldfield, Westhead, Withens and Hilifield. In 1550 she again claims a tenement in Croston against Henry Croston. In 1555 Richard Ashton claimed various property against Seth Worsley and Anne his wife. This Anne was the daughter of the Old Uncle William named in Roger Dalton's grant of 1527.

In 1543 the Crown granted the site of Cockersand Abbey to John Kitchen whose daughter Anne married Robert Dalton I who seems to have held Cockersand absolutely. He died in 1578 holding the site from the queen by knight's service. He also held Cockshotts in Ellel and the Bankhouses in Cockerham. All passed to his nephew Robert Dalton III who held by knight's service in 1626.

In 1556 Richard Ashton purchased property from "Jane Dalton, widow; Robert Dalton and Anne his wife" and it was the beginning of a series of sales in which the three names are associated. Sir Thomas Hesketh bought "the fourth parts of the manor of Croston with all other their hereditaments there" (VCHL VI page 93). In 1558 Bispham itself went to two men, William Stopford and Richard Mason of Wrightington and Parbold.

In 1560 Robert Dalton I gave Aldcliffe Hall and the Ridge in Bulk to his mother Jane, widow of William Dalton. In 1573 he settled Abbot's Carr on his brother Thomas and Anne his wife, with the remainder to two other brothers, Roger and Richard. In 1571 he gave a rent of £2 a year to Robert Walmesley of Lincoln's Inn. Thurnham was sated in the Inquisition to be held in socage, at a rent of 6s8d, from William Curwen, late of Glasson.

In 1574 the Mayor and Corporation of Lancaster granted Robert Dalton of Thurnham a lease of a suitable plot in the waste of the town of Lancaster, commonly called the Green Ayre, on which plot he was to build a large house for a water-mill or two mills at the point he considered most suitable. He was allowed to make a mill-stream and dam.

Robert Dalton of Thurnham:
By R.N.D. Hamilton of the DGS in England.

William's eldest son by his second marriage, Robert established the Dalton's Thurnham estate and indeed other estates as well.

Our Dalton pedigree shows that Robert married Anne, daughter of John Kechyn. John Kechyn, who was of Hatfield, Hertforldshire, Esq. was supervisor of the Augmentation Office and became M.P. for the county of Lancaster. The Court of Augmentations was a branch of the Exchequer formed in 1535 to carry out the dissolution of the Monasteries and dispose of their land and property. Ten years later, by deed dated 29th August 1554, the abbey lands were conveyed, on the marriage of his daughter, to Robert Dalton of Bispham. Two years later, on the 24th June 1556, Thomas Lonna or Lowm. a citizen of London sold the manor of Thurnham to Robert for £1,500, having purchased it four years earlier from the Duke of Suffolk for £1,080. In 1556 and 1557 Robert bargained for lands formerly attached to the Priory of Lancaster. The Priory possessions were described in a document signed by "Gilbert Moreton, deputy of John Kechyn, our supervisor there", and on 22nd March 1557 rated for Robert Dalton for the purchase money of £1,268. 17s. 4d. The possessions that he purchased included the Aldcliffe and Bulk estates. Aldcliffe is just north of Lancaster. Bulk (local pronunciation Book according to the VCH and formerly known as Newton, a name long obsolete) lies on the north side of Lancaster, part of it now in a suburb, and is bounded on the west and north by the river Lune. (VCH Lancs. Vol. 8 Pages 49 and 50).

Oliver Roper says: "Thus it was that Robert Dalton became possessed of a stretch of country extending from a point on the River Lum, three miles above Lancaster, to one on that river nearly six miles below, intercepted only by the lands of the borough of Lancaster and the demesne of Ashton Hall. On such a large estate it was only fitting that a substantial residence should be erected, and probably Thurnham Hall owes its foundation to Robert Dalton".

No doubt to help provide him with the money required for his Thurnham and associated enterprises, Robert sold the Dalton interests in the Manors of both Bispham and Croston. He sold the Bispham estate in 1558 to William Stopford.

Victoria County Histories of Lancashire:

Vol. 2 page 172, of the VCH Lanc.
Syon Abbey (Middlesex) owned the priory of Lancaster in 1527. Syon Abbey was dissolved in 1540. In 1557 the crown sold the bulk of the Lancaster Priory estate to Robert Dalton of Bispham for £1667.

Vol. 2 page 564, of the VCHL.
Robert Dalton bought Lune mill from the crown in 1557/8. The mayor and burgesses of Lancaster rented it from him for 6s 8d a year until in 1571 a flood destroyed it. Robert Dalton died a few years after 1571, and the inquisition post mortem on his estate was held at Wigan on 13 January 1578/9

Vol. 6 page 102. Add MS 32107 no. 914, Towneley MS DD no. 175).
Robert and Jane, widow of his father William, in 1558, sold the Dalton's one fourth share in Croston Manor with all their other (?) there also.

Vol. 8 page 15 - 1574
The mayor and corporation of Lancaster granted Robert Dalton of Thurnham a lease of a plot called Green Acre in the waste of Lancaster, for him to build a large house for a watermill, or for two mills, with permission to make a dam and millstream. The mill probably replaced the old priory mill in Bulk

Vol. 8 page 41 - 1578
Robert Dalton of Thurnham died, holding 15 acres in Lancaster, which used to belong to the friars.

Vol. 8 page 48 - March 1557.
The Crown sold Aldcliffe and Bulk to Robert Dalton I of Thurnham. In due course one portion went with Dorothy (younger daughter and coheir of Robert Dalton III who died in 1700) to the Riddells of Swinburne Castle, Northumberland. The government in 1716 confiscated the rest, having been devoted to the maintenance of Roman Catholic secular clergy, after an inquiry. Dorothy Dalton's husband Edward Riddell died in 1731. Their son Thomas took part in the 1st Jacobite Rebellion, was imprisoned at Lancaster, escaped and shared in the general pardon. Thomas was succeed by his son Thomas whose third son Ralph Riddell ultimately became his heir.

Vol. 8 page 82 -
The priory estate at Caton was regarded as a dependency of the manor of Bulk and passed to Robert Dalton of Thurnham [presumably in 1557]

Vol. 8 page 102 -
Robert Dalton I, through his marriage to Anne Kitchen (daughter of John Kitchen of Pilling), acquired the site of Cockersand Abbey, which adjoined Thurnham Abbey.

Robert Dalton I, appears to have sold his lands in Bispham to acquire Thurnham Abbey and other property near Lancaster. In 1558 he bought Aldcliffe and Bulk from the crown. He died without issue in 1578 and left his estates to his nephew Robert Dalton II, son of his brother Thomas. His nephew was then 2 months old.

The Inquisition Post Mortem shows Robert Dalton I as owning:
The Manor of Thurnham with messuages, watermills etc in Thurnham and Glasson.

The Manors of Bulk and Aldcliffe with lands in Bolton, Lancaster, etc;

A fourth part of the Manor of Hackinsall.

The site of the Black Friars in Lancaster.

The site of Cockersand Abbey with lands in Ellel, Forton, Bankhouses and Pillings.

Lands in Croston, etc;

Had possession of an area called the Friarage, which had belonged to the House of the Friars covering 15 acres.

Acquired land in Heysham when he bought Aldcliffe and Bulk from the Crown.

Vol. 8 page 107 - 1582
Roger Dalton claimed the land, which Furness Abbey had held in Forton by virtue of a lease from the queen, but William Corless, the holder, claimed he had it from a former lessee whose term had not run out.

Vol. 8 page 113 - 1557
Robert and Jane, widow of his father William, in 1558, sold the Dalton's one fourth share in Croston Manor with all their other (?) there also.

Deed No. 543:
Acknowledgment of receipt, 1557, May 31. 4 Mary. 1 item: parchment; 13.5 x 35 cm.

Acknowledgment by Robert Dalton of Byspam in the county of Lancaster, esquire, of the receipt of £290 from Bernard Townley of Brunley in the said county, gentleman, servant to John Townley, esquire, and John Aspedenne, clerk, by the hands of John Kechyn, esquire: being the purchase money of lands sold by Robert and Anne his wife to Bernard and John as specified in an indenture dated 29 March, 3 and 4 Philip and Mary. Given on 31 May, 3 and 4, Philip and Mary. Signed by Robert Dalton. Witnesses (endorsed): Jane Dalton, Thomas Dalton, Thomas Patrycke, John Kymby. With 1 seal (1.3 cm.) of red wax, bearing intitials: I.D.

The High Sheriffs of Lancashire - 1129 to 1947:
1577 Robert Dalton, of Thurnham, near Lancaster.

The below items are court records of actions taken from plaintiffs against Joan Dalton, a widow and Robert Dalton and his wife Anne. This could only be Robert Dalton of Thurnham Hall, the brother of our Roger Dalton. Robert Dalton married Anne Kechyn.

Robert Dalton’s mother’s name was “Jane Towneley Dalton” and his father, William died in 1543. (See below)

After reviewing the history of Robert Dalton of Thurnham Hall, I do now believe that the the person transcribed the name of “Joan” wrongly. It should have been Jane.

Title:
FINAL CONCORDS of the COUNTY OF LANCASTER from the original

CHIROGRAPHS, or FEET OF FINES preserved amongst the PALATINATE OF LANCASTER RECORDS IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE.

PART 1V- Henry Vlll to Philip and Mary A.D. 1510-1558

Book no. 942.7 b4LC Vol. 60.

Bundle 12, 31-8 Hen. VIII. 1539-1547.

m. 3. Monday in the fourth week of Lent, 4 and 5 Philip and Mary. [21 March, 1558].

Between William Stopforthe and Richard Mason, plaintiffs, and Joan Dalton, widow, and Robert Dalton, esq., and Anne his wife deforciants of 4 messuages, one cottage, one toft, 4 gardens, 4 orchards, 100 a. of land, 30 a. of meadow, 40 a. of pasture, 4 a. of wood, 200 a. of turbary, 200 a. of moss, 100 a. of moor, and 100 a. of furze and heath in Byspham and Mawdesley.

m. 10. [21 March, 1558]

Between John Modye, clerk, plaintiff, and Joan Dalton, widow, and Robert Dalton, esq. and Anne his wife deforciants of the moiety of 2 messuages, 2 gardens, 80 a. of land, 20 a. of meadow, 40 a. of pasture and 20 a. of wood in Dalton [parish of Wigan]

The deforciants remitted all right to John and his heirs, for which John gave them 100 marks.

m. 19. [21 March, 1558]

Between Thomas Crosse, Richard Hey, William Smalshaghe and John Fayrcloghe, plaintiff, and Robert Dalton, esq. And Anne his wife, and Joan Dalton, widow, deforciants of a moriety of 2 messuages, 2 gardens, 80 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 40 acres of pasture and 20 acres of wood in Dalton.

The deforciants remitted all right to the plaintiffs and to the heirs of Thomas, for which the plaintiffs gave them £66.

m. 29. [21 March. 1558]

Between Thomas Hesketh. Knight, plaintiff, and Joan Dalton, widow, and Robert Dalton,

Esq. And Anne his wife deforciants of 12 messuages, 10 cottages, 8 tofts, 22 gardens, 22

Orchards, 300 acres of land, 140 acres of meadow, 60 acres of pasture, 6 acres of wood. 300 acres of turbary, 200 acres of moss, 100 acres of furze and heath, and 40s. of rent in Croston; and also a forth part of the manor of Croston, with appurtenances, and a fourth part of 1000 a. of moor in Croston. The deforciants remitted all right to Thomas and his heirs, for which Thomas gave them £230.

m. 103. [17 August, 1556]

Between Richard Crosse, plaintiff, and Joan Dalton, widow, and Robert Dalton, esq. and Anne his wife deforciants of 7 acres of land in Dalton near Holland.

The deforciants remitted right to Richard and his heirs, for which Richard gave them £40.

m. 125. [17 August, 1556]

Between Richard Ashton, esq. plaintiff, and Joan Dalton, widow, Robert Dalton, esq., and Anne his wife deforciants of a messuage, 2 gardens, 2 orchards, 20 acres of land, 4 acres of meadow and 4 acres of pasture in Croston and Mawdysley.

The deforciants remitted all right to Richard and his heirs, for which Richard gave them £20.

m. 196. [17 August, 1556]

Between Roger Bradshawe, plaintiff and Robert Dalton, esq. and Anne his wife

Deforciants of 7 messuages, 4 cottages, 8 gardens, 8 orchards, 30 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, 20 acres of pasture, 4 acres of wood and 6 d. of rent in Hagh and Wygan.

Robert and Anne remitted all right to Roger and his heirs, for which Roger gave them £40.

m. 168 [17 August. 1556]

Between Robert Nelson, plaintiff, and Joan Dalton, widow, and Robert Dalton, esq. And Anne his wife deforcaints of 16 acres of land, 1 acres of meadow, and 8 acres of pasture in Croston and Mawdysley.

The deforciants remitted all right to Robert and his heirs, for which Robert gave them £40.

m. 206. [17 August, 1556]

Between William Nelson and Richard Banester, plaintiffs, and Joan Dalton, widow, Robert Dalton, esq. And Anne his wife deforciants of a messuage, 3 gardens, an orchard, 20 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, 10 acres of pasture, 10 acres of moss, 8 acres of turbary, 20 acres of more, and 40 acres o furze and heath in Mawdysley and Croston.

The deforciants acknowledged the said tenements to be the right of William, for which Willaim and Richard granted them to Robert, to have and to hold for the term of one

Week; and after that term to remain Thomas Nelson and Cililia his wife and to the heirs begotten of their bodies; in default to remain to the right heir of the said Cicilia forever.

Deed no. 543 -
Acknowledgment of receipt, 1557, May 31. 1 item: parchment; 13.5 x 35 cm.

SUMMARY: Acknowledgment by Robert Dalton of Byspam in the county of Lancaster, esquire, of the receipt of 290 from Bernard Townley of Brunley in the said county, gentleman, servant to John Townley, esquire, and John Aspedenne, clerk, by the hands of John Kechyn, esquire: being the purchase money of lands sold by Robert and Anne his wife to Bernard and John as specified in an indenture dated 29 March, 3 and 4 Philip and Mary. Given on 31 May, 3 and 4 Philip and Mary. Signed by Robert Dalton. Witnesses (endorsed): Jane Dalton, Thomas Dalton, Thomas Patrycke, John Kymby. With 1 seal (1.3 cm.) of red wax, bearing initials: I.D.

NAMES: I. Dalton, Robert. II. Townley, Bernard. III. Townley, John. IV. Aspedenne, John. V. Kechyn, John. VI. Dalton, Anne. VII. Dalton, Jane. VIII. Dalton, Thomas. IX. Patrick, Thomas. X. Kymby, John.

SUBJECTS: 1. Deeds--England--Lancashire. 2. Lancashire (England)--Charters, grants, privileges. 3. Bispham (England) 4. Burnley (England)

Source of above: Found on the Internet

Thus passed away the last link with the place, which for 300 years had connected Dalton with Bispham. The money obtained through these sales, Robert added to the dower brought him by his wife, and purchased a manor lying further north, within three miles of Cockersand Abbey, and about the same or rather less distance from the Lancaster-Preston Road. This was Thurnham Hall, and henceforth this branch of the family was to be known as the Dalton's of Thurnham

“Thurnham Hall” says the VCHL. "Stands on a slightly rising ground about a quarter of a mile from the left bank of the River Condor in the eastern part of the township, and is a three story stone built house erected probably by Robert Dalton soon after his purchase of the property. The front of the building faces west, and is said to have had originally three gables with an embattled porch and mullioned windows. The present day porch projects nine feet from the frontage. The coat of arms both inside and out (of Dalton impaling Gage and quartering Fleming, and Middleton respectively) were introduced in 1823. Various alterations were made in succeeding centuries, so that the appearance is not quite different externally, but within, having passed through the porch, we find the hall 39 ft. by 24 ft. which "is probably a reconstruction of the original 16th century apartment and is 12 ft. high, with plastered ceiling and flagged floor. The walls are paneled to a height of 8 ft. 3 ins. with grained deal wainscot, but the hop pattern plaster frieze above appears to be of seventeenth century date." The western wall, opening by two archways to the porch, is four feet thick and there were rooms both north and south of the hall. Over it and of the same sizes was the drawing rooms and in both rooms there were eventually hung the series of family portraits afterwards at Bygods Hall, Essex. Bygots Hall was home of the FitzsGeralds, who held Thurnham for several generation in the nineteenth Century.

Thurnham Hall had been held by the Greys, and in 1553 Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, son in law of Henry VI, sister, Mary Tudor, and father of the infamous Lady Jane Grey, was the owner. In 1553 he conveyed, for the sum of 1080p, the manor to a London citizen and grocer, Thomas Lonne, who sold it again to Robert Dalton for 500p.

In the VCHL is the list of this and other lands, which bring the total up to 667p. The Manors of Bulk and Aldcliffe with lands in Bolton; the site of the Black Friars in Lancaster, 15 acres; houses in Halton, Warton, and Scotforth; a quarter of the Manor of Hackinsall, and attached to the Cockersand Abbey site lands in Eliel, Forton, Bankhouses, and Pilling (the Tongues). These were not all purchased at the same time, but as occasion served in the course of several years.

Wealthy and childless, but with many dependents, Robert I (the first of Thurnham) was generous. In 1560 he gave Aldcliffe Hall and the Ridge, in Bulk, to his mother. In 1573 he settled Abbots Carr (in Forton) on his brother Thomas and his wife Anne Molyneux, with remainder to his younger brothers, Roger and Richard. This was in addition, apparently, to an arrangement in 1569 by which, the Manor of Hackinsall "with dovecote, lands, etc.," had been bought by Robert and Thomas jointly. Earlier in the century it had been held by four families: Tunstall, Bewley, Butler and Mordaunt. Tunstall had sold to Geoffrey Starkie, from whose daughter's husband, Richard Hothersall, Robert Dalton bought. But Butler complained, in 1571, that his lease had been wrongfully included, and both Thomas Starkie, Georffrey's newphew, and Mordaunt, claimed against Hotersall, Bridget Starkie, and Robert Dalton. And Robert remained safely in possession; one proof of which was that he refused right of common to Cuthbert Clifton in 1574, in virtue of his lordship.

On September 12, 1578, Robert Dalton made his will, now among the additional MSS in the British Museum. As he (Robert) had no sons or daughters of his own, his heir was Robert, the son of his brother, Thomas, married to Anne Molyneux. But Thomas was also dead, and the child an infant of only two months, so arrangements for the management of the estate until little Robert should come of age, had to be made. Robert left therefore to his own two brothers, Roger and Richard, the use of all his "leases, terms of years, tacks, and bargains whatsoever in the Realm of England"; to Richard, his estate of the "Milnes at Lancaster"; to Roger "all and singular his manors, lands, etc." Other relatives named are "his cozens Dugles Nevill and Margret Ashton" who were to have ??? each; the children of his brother Roger Dalton; Jane, daughter of his brother Thomas; William, illegitimate son of his brother Richard (mentioned twice); and several servants. One of these, James Swinburne, was to have the Seal of the Friars at Lancaster and one wind mile formerly belonging to the same, and certain lands thereto belonging to him and his assigns during life. George Bradshaw and Richard Charnock had each an annuity of 6p. 13s. 4d. Richard Kitchen an annuity of 5p; Henry Cutler 40p. His Executors were each to have El 0 and a gelding. They were Richard Bold, Esq. and Gilbert Moreton, Gent.

The story of Colonel Thomas Dalton of Thurnham Hall:
Col. Thomas Dalton of Thurnham Hall inherited his Thurnham property from his father, Robert Dalton, the first son of our William Dalton (#12). This Thomas raised a troop of horse for the King, at the time of the Civil war. He was a Colonel of cavalry, was wounded at the second battle of Newbury, on 27th of October 1644, and died within a week afterwards at Marlborough. His property in Thurnham had previously been taken from him - it was sequestered in 1642-3 - on account of his "delinquency." With respect to his seven sisters, some or all who resided for a time at Aldcliffe Hall, near Lancaster. Their names were Margaret, Elizabeth, Jane, Ellen, Dorothy, Katherine and Phillpia. They were very firm believers in the Roman Catholic faith; and it is said that Aldclitfe Hall was, when the Dalton sisters were in it, designated the "home of the Catholic Virgins.' Two-thirds of their property at Aldcliffe was sequestered for "recusancy." In 1653-4 they petitioned for permission to "contract jointly for the redemption of their interests, and in the Record Office there is a certificate, dated 11 May 1655. Signed by Saubeny Williams, "showing that he had searched the books in his custody relating to Lancashire, Middlesex, and London, and found no conviction against Margaret Dalton or her sisters." The property referred to was afterwards leased from the Lancashire Commissioners to one of the sisters (Margaret) for seven years, at 40 a year. Through the marriage of Elizabeth Dalton, daughter and co-heiress of Robert Dalton, who was a descendant of the fore-named Robert, and died in 1704 with William Houghton, of Park Mall, in the parish of Standish, the Dalton property passed, in 1710, to their eldest son John, who took the surname and arms of Dalton of Thumham Hall, a mansion built in the time of Queen Mary, was of course included in the property which he inherited, and he took up his residence in it. In 1715, when the Scotch Rebels reached Lancaster on their southward march, John Dalton, of Thurnham Hall, along with some friends, joined them. Tradition also says that when he arrived he found his wife at the rear of the Hall gathering kindling wood. He recovered his confiscated property by the payment to the Government.

13- ROGER DALTON, the second son of William Dalton was the trustee of Thurnham Hall and other lands and was born about 1531 in Byspham, Lancashire England. He died in 1588 in the Holbon area of London, England. As far as we know, Roger Dalton was the first of our Dalton line to move from Lancashire Co. He may have bought land and settled in Witney, Oxfordshire England.

He married Mary Ward and they had at least seven children:
1. Millicant

2. Anne.

3. Robert.

4. Thomas.

5. Walter 1^st. (our line)

6. Richard.

7. Joan.

During the long minority of the heir of Thurnham Hall (Robert II), Roger’s name occurs frequently in business matters. In the year after Robert I death, a grant of lands in Cockersand for 21 years was made to Roger. In 1581 he claimed turbary (the right of a tenant to dig on his overlord's land) in Preesall Moss and a messuage (use of a house, its lands and outbuildings) called Quatholme or Wheatholme, against Robert Carter. In 1582 a house called Friars Moss, near Quernmore Park, part of the Rigmaidens estate, was sold to him. He held burgages (right of rent) (in Lancaster). In virtue of a lease from Queen Elizabeth 1, he claimed the Furness land in Forton. In 1583 he purchased from Adams an estate in Pilling of 40 messuages, 500 acres of salt marsh, etc., which in 1586 was granted to feoffees (tenants) by "Anne Dalton, widow, Barnaby Kitchen, and Hugh Hesketh," and next year (1587) the feoffees with Roger Dalton sold the greater part to Robert Bindloss.

From the will of Anne Dalton (widow of Robert I of Thurnham), made April 9, 1593, we learn that Roger Dalton was already deceased and his heirs were bound to pay to her assigns £40, a year for 50 years after her death. She left this to be divided between her brother, Barnaby Kitchen and Elizabeth Hartley, whose husband was her executor. Barnaby was also to have "one pair of bed stocks"; a "cozen , John Thornton, 2 oxen", and her nieces Anne and Elizabth Kitchin, 40 shillings each.

Notes on Walter Dalton 1^st, 5^th child of Robert Dalton of Thurnham Hall:

Mrs. Leaning gives the quote below by her uncle:
“In the summer of 1935, my Uncle Frederick Way Dalton placed in my hands some papers or family bible which purported to be a family genealogy, copied from a family Bible, which had been in the possession of his Aunt Hannah Neale Dalton. The copy had been made by an Uncle, the Rev. Edward Neale Dalton, deceased. It is believed that the genealogical material had been compiled originally in the lifetime of John Dalton of Stanmore and Peckham (1780-1851). Nothing is presently known of the whereabouts of this family Bible. Fortuitously, collaborating evidence of some of this family Bible genealogy is found in Burke's Peerage Dictionary of Landed Gentry, 1848, under the heading of Dalton of Dunkirk House. Edward Dalton of Dunkirk House supplied the family lineage in Burke’s Peerage.

Read the history of this Walter Dalton in Chapter 4 of this book. (RD)

Here next are the occupants of Thurnham Hall starting with the Col. Thomas Dalton, of the Civil War time, brother of Robert. Taken from the "John Dalton book of Genealogy" and other sources.

Note: these are not of our direct line.

Lords of the Manors of Thurnham, Cockersand and Bulk from 1626:

We start with COL. THOMAS DALTON, of Thurnham, who raised at his own expense a regiment of horse, with which he served in the Royal Army in the Civil War, and died of wounds received at the second battle of Newbury, 1644.

1626 to1644, his son, Robert.

ROBERT DALTON III, of Thurnham, married, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Thomas Homer, of Middleham, Yorkshire, and had issue, two daughters and co-heirs of whom the younger, Dorothy, of the Manors of Caton and Aldcliffe and married Edward Riddell, of Swinburne Castle. 1644 to 1700. His daughter, Elizabeth was next.

ELIZABETH DALTON, of Thurnham, married William Hoghton, of Park Hall, Lancashire, derived from Richard Hoghton, of Park Hall, 3rd son of Sir Richard Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, Lancashire. 1700 to 1710. She died in 1710, and was succeeded by her eldest son, John Hoghton.

JOHN HOGHTON-DALTON, of Thurnham, who assumed the name of DALTON on succeeding to the manor and estates of Thurnham Hall, married Frances, 2nd daughter of Sir Pyers Mostyn. 1710 to 1736. He was succeeded by his son, Robert IV.

The below article is about this John Hoghton-Dalton and his arrest for his involvement in the Jacobite Revolt.

Some information was copied from Mrs. Frances Edith Dalton Leanings book.

Edited and with added information by Rodney Dalton.

The Jacobite uprising of 1715:
On November 7^th, 1715 the Jacobite forces marched into Lancaster with colors flying, drums beating and bagpipes playing. They were joined by five of the neighboring gentry, all of whom were Catholics and two townsmen. These gentlemen were, Albert Hodshom of Leighton, John Dalton of Thurnham Hall, John Tyldesley of Myerslough Lodge, Henry Butler of Rawcliffe and Thomas Walton of Cartmel.

This group met the next day, Tuesday, Nov. 8^th, and a service was held in the parish Church, to which an abundance of persons came. The next morning this force left for Preston, where they were joined by a great many gentleman, with their servants and attendants, all Papists.

The defeat at Preston:
The story of the defeat of the Papist is well known today. The king’s men were near at hand and the Jacobites were asked to surrender, which, they did without much fanfare, On Nov. 14^th the English Regiments marched in and took a large number of prisoners,

Including John Dalton of Thurnham Hall. Some of the prisoners were locked up in the Preston Church and for about a month the town’s people had to feed them. In the course of 1715 and as long as 9 months afterwards, executions took place on Gallows Hill, north of town. Luckily John Dalton was not one of them.

John Dalton was one of 400 prisoners brought to Lancaster Castle and church registers

records a number of deaths along the way. John Dalton was lucky again, for he was one of “sixty-two most considerable” who were reserved to be carried to London as trophies. This group of prisoners reached London on Dec. 9^th, 1715. The trial of John Dalton (read below) took place at the Court of the Admiralty in the Marshalsea before Lord Justice Parker. The evidence against John Dalton being positive as to the facts, the jury after a considerable stay, found him guilty.

How long John Dalton served in prison is not known, but it is known that he was eventually released. Tradition has it he walked the whole way home to Thurnham Hall, a

distance of approximately 230 miles. Naturally John Dalton’s family suffered all the while he was gone from Thurnham Hall, as his estate was forfeited to the King. The family had leased his lands to a favorite friend and when he returned he redeemed his estates for 6,000p. He died in 1736.

The Whole Trial and Examination of John Dalton, Esquire – at the Marshialea in London on Wednesday the 30^th of May 1716:
AGAINST this Gentleman it was deposed, that he met the rebels at Lancaster, and was there seen with the Earl of Derwentwater, the Lord Widdrington and others; and that the said Earl, with a number of other rebels, came to Mr. Dalton's house on Tuesday, where they staid all day, and that he went away with them. One evidence said, in particular, that he saw him at Lancaster on the Monday, in the company before mentioned, and again on the Wednesday morning, when she heard him say, “The business is now done, we have nothing to do but to march to Preston”. Another said, that they heard on the Sunday, that the rebels were to be at Lancaster the next day, when it was clear, even by his own evidence, that the next morning he rode out but with one servant, and went to Lancaster, as the evidence had sworn, which was not at all disputed. He was likewise proved by several to have been with the rebels at Preston, particularly the hostler at the White-Bull-Inn, where he usually set up his horses when he came to that town, who said he ran to him to have taken his horses; but he told the said evidence, that he was going further.

Another remarkable passage of his being (and confederating) with the rebels, was proved by the servant of one Chorley of Preston. This Chorley had some time before seized a horse of the prisoners, by virtue of the Act of Parliament, which directs, that no Papist shall keep horses of such a size; and when the rebels were Masters of Preston, Mr. Dalton came to the witness Chorley's man, and demanded the horse; the witness answering him, that his master was not at home (he being gone away with the Dragoons towards Wigan, on the approach of the rebels, who he was in dread of) he then told the servant, that he would have the horse; who called out his master's sister to speak to the prisoner, whom with threats he obliged to deliver the horse; but the prisoner not thinking him so good as when he was seized, said they had spoiled the horse, and compelled her to pay him 10p for him, which she did. This was observed by the Court and King's Council, to shew the prisoner acted with alacrity in the rebellion, for the horse had been seized by law; but he had made use of violence and unlawful means to obtain him again, and made his demands good only by the advantage of the power of the rebels. The truth of his being at Preston, and constantly there in the company of the rebels, was confirmed by many other witnesses.

His council pleaded for him, that he was forced into rebellion, and called evidence to endeavor to prove it. One swore that the Earl of Derwentwater and others, came to his house on the Tuesday, and there lived at discretion, and called for, and took whatever the house afforded. That they were got about the Prisoner, persuading him to go with them, and threatened him with death, and took away his arms; but he refused to go, and said, he had no inclination, and that he heard them at high words, but could not distinguish what was said. That afterwards the prisoner was brought out, and put on horseback, and went away with' them, but shew’d reluctance. He was likewise met at some distance from his house riding among the said company of rebels. By another witness, who said, he seemed to go unwillingly, that he looked melancholy, and he could perceive tears in his eyes, and his eyes to look red, but this witness could not but say, that he rode as at other times ; and it was pretty extraordinary, as was after observed by the Court, that this witness, at the distance of a street breadth, should see the tears in the prisoner's eyes; or indeed it might be very probable, that at parting with his wife, and going on such a dangerous affair, it might occasion some melancholy reflections.

He called several to his character, one of which was the Parson of the Parish Mr. Dalton lived in, who said, that some time before the rebellion, he was at a wedding with Mr. Dalton, who then read him a letter from London, which said, that they expected a rising in Scotland under the Earl of Mar, and that there would be other risings’ in England; that he told the prisoner, he hoped he would not meddle in the matter; who answered him, that he had neither intention nor inclination to do it; that he lived very happily, and would not endanger himself. This evidence declared farther, that he has at several other times had discourse with the prisoner, whom he never heard to express himself against the government, and so far unlikely to favor the pretender's cause, that he had sometimes expressed some scruples against the Roman Religion: Upon which occasion, he was asked by the Court, why he, being a Minister of the Church of England, did not endeavor to improve those notions in him, in order to convert him; who answered, that he had made some essay that way, but then found him altered in his judgment. Upon the whole, he gave him the character of a very peaceable Roman Catholic, as several others did, and one said, that he had heard him drink to King George's health; One in another particular, deposed, that when they heard of the rebellion in Northumberland, he said to the prisoner, perhaps they'll come into Lancashire, and then they'll be about your house; that the prisoner answered, he would have nothing to do with them: This, and other witnesses said, that he was the most peaceable of all the Roman Catholics, and never, at the time of elections, meddled in the least, as some did. One of the members for that County justified this, declaring, that asking his interest once, he told him, he would meddle of no side.

After a very long hearing and Mr. Dalton having nothing farther to say, the Court summed up the evidence, observing first the circumstances of law in cases of High-Treason: That if a man was seen among rebels, and continued with his presence to abet and comfort them, tho' he were not actually in arms, or committed hostilities, yet it was High-Treason; That the force mentioned, must be a continued force; that a man was not only forced away at first, but kept as a prisoner under close constraint all the time; which appeared by some witnesses examined, not to have been the case of the prisoner at Preston, where he was seen at full liberty, and whence he might have escaped often, if be had attempted it.

As to any favorable circumstances that might have been given in for the prisoner, as to his character or peaceable behavior, they were proper only in another place: That mercy belonged only to his Majesty, who was a just dispenser of it, it was his undoubted prerogative, and was robbing him of his right, to take the power of bestowing it out of his Royal Hands.

After the Court had impartially stated the case, the prisoner said, he had a witness to examine, who would prove, that he was at home all Wednesday, and not that day at Lancaster, as one of the evidence against him had sworn. He was told, That it was very unprecedented to hear witnesses after the charge had been given; but however they condescended to it, and his evidence, who was one Mrs. Dalton's woman, swore him at home all the day on Wednesday; so that it was left to the jury which witness they should believe, in respect to that point; but then neither of them affected his being afterwards at Preston, The jury went out, and after a very considerable stay, brought him in guilty of the indictment, and he received sentence accordingly.

When he was asked what he had to say, why sentence should not pass, he said, he begged the King's pardon, and desired the Court to intercede with him for mercy. Upon this occasion the Lord Chief Justice Parker observed, as he had done before, that the prisoner, as well as others, had so far abused his Majesty's clemency, by derogating from their former submission, and giving the Government all the trouble possible, even in standing it out and combating with the King to the very last, that they might very well expect to meet with some severity, were not his Royal Breast always open to the intercessions of mercy, when it has been requested: That there was one gentleman, who had retracted his plea, and owned the indictment, and upon recommendation, had a pardon already passing the seals for him : That it would have been very well for the prisoner to have made his request sooner, and, as his Lordship observed, they were not his friends who advised him to do otherwise; That recommending of prisoners to mercy was a part he much delighted in, and he wished to have had better grounds to have done it for the prisoner; but however, he would report his case in the most impartial manner to the King.
End.

ROBERT DALTON IV of Thurnham Hall. 1736 to 1785. He married Cecilia Butler, and by her had issue, a son, John.

JOHN DALTON I, 1785 to1837, DALTON, JOHN, esq. of Thurnham Hall, in the county of Lancaster, m. Miss Etheldreda Gage, by whom he has had issue, a daughter, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH DALTON, of Thurnham Hall. Unmarried. 1837 to 1861.

SIR JAMES GEORGE DALTON-FITZGERALD, a kinsman of Elizabeth. 1861 to 1867. Buried in the Church next to Thurnham Hall.

SIR GERALD RICHARD DALTON-FITZGERALD, brother of Sir James. 1867 to 1894. Also buried in the Church next to Thurnham Hall.

WILLIAM HENRY DALTON of Thurnham Hall, where he succeeded his 2nd cousin Sir Gerald Dalton-Fitzgerald. 1894 to 1902. He had a son, John.

JOHN HENRY DALTON, Lord of the Manor of Thurnham. 1902 to 1937.

WILLIAM AUGUSTUS DALTON, Lord of the Manor of Thurnham. Brother of John Henry, 1937 to 1965.

EDA FLORENCE DALTON, eldest surviving sister of William Augustus Dalton. 1965 to 13th Dec 1971.

ALZIRA ELOISE DALTON, spinster, was the last owner of Thurnham Hall, and a sister of Eda Florence Dalton. 1971 to May 30, 1983.

The following Obituary notice appeared in the Lancashire Evening Post:
Ezira Eloise Dalton, through to be the last of the local land-owning Dalton family, died at her home at Thurnham Hall Lodge on Monday. She was in her nineties. This branch of the Dalton family moved to England from America at the beginning of this century to take over the Thurnham estate, which they inherited. Most of the amount of land owned by the Dalton family in the Lancaster area; Dalton Square, Mary Street, ??? Passage and the Dalton Arms at Glasson were all named after the family.

Miss Dalton was a direct descendant of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee and one of the early American Presidents, Jefferson Davies. The Dalton families direct English line can be traced back to Thomas More. Miss Dalton inherited the Thurnham Estate from her sister, Eda Florence Dalton. The estate, dating back many years, including Cockersand Abbey. The Daltons once owned the land where the Bulk Estate is now located as well as the Lancaster Moor Hospital and Prison. More recently the land on which the Post House was built was sold by Miss Dalton to Trust House.

One of Miss Dalton’s last acts was to give more ground to the Village Institute for a car park. The Funeral will take place at Christ Church, Glasson, next day. Funeral service did take place on 8th June and was concluded by internment in the Lancaster Cemetery. Alzina Dalton was the last surviving daughter of William Henry Dalton and Emma Cook.

Next is the story of Cockersand Abbey where a lot of the Dalton’s of Thurnham Hall are buried. The road to Cockersand Abbey ruins is only within a few feet of the entrance to Thurnham Hall and is only a few miles to the south and is in a green cow pasture where the view is spectacular.

Before we proceed with the history of our Dalton family let me tell about a trip my cousin, Arthur Whittaker and myself had the opportunity to take during the first week of June 2003. Every year the Dalton Genealogy Society holds a meeting somewhere near Dalton sites in England. We spent three days at a hotel in the Gower area of South Wales where the meeting was held. I will tell the story about these three days in Wales in the Chapter on the Dalton’s of South Wales.

After the Dalton meeting in South Wales, our cousin John Dalton from Lancashire drove us north to a time share resort that was once owned by our ancestors. This was Thurnham Hall near the city of Lancaster. This was a very moving experience for both of us. There were no rooms available in the main building, but we did have a suite in a small cabin next door. After informing the people in charge that we were some direct descendants of the Dalton’s who once owned the property, I had a good time being “The Lord of the Manor.” There are some photos at the end of this chapter about the places in Lancashire we visited.

The Story of Cockersand Abbey:
by Mrs. Kate Dalton (Copied from Vol. 4 of the DGS Journal)

The contents of this article are based on a paper by John Swanwarbrick, F.R.I.B.A. entitled 'The Abbey of St. Mary-of the-Marsh at Cockersand' and published in the Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society, Volume XL in 1925.

Cockersand Abbey, or to give it its full title, the Premonstratensian Abbey of St. Mary-of-the-Marsh at Cockersand, can be found in a relatively remote and deserted marshland area of the Lancashire coast. The Abbey is positioned between the estuaries of the River Lune and the River Cocker. It is approximately twenty-five feet above sea level and just eight feet above the surrounding marsh.

The Abbey commands a view across the water of Pilling Church, the Fleetwood grain elevator, Walney, Piel Island and Sunderland Point. Close by on the near side of the Lune estuary are the Cockersand Abbey lighthouses and Plover Scar. To the east, the cultivated moss-land extends to the Cockerham, Thurnham and Lancaster road, whereupon it rises sharply to about fifty feet above sea level. The town of Lancaster is about six miles to the north. The surrounding land is so flat that at very high tides the aforementioned road is often impassable at Conder Green.

Along this part of the coast, a considerable amount of erosion has taken place. Tradition says that the site of the village of Singleton Thorp, near Rossall, is now beneath the waves. In fact, the danger of the waves caused Pope Gregory in October 1372 to grant a Relaxation, during twenty years, of one year and forty days of enjoined penance to penitents who would give alms for the repair of the monastery. Now, a modern stone sea-wall, about five or six yards high, protects the coastline in the vicinity for a considerable distance.

In early times it is thought that access to the Abbey was gained from the sea, on account of it being so unapproachable by land. Roger, an Abbot at the beginning of the 13^th, Century described himself as 'de Marisco', which means 'of the marsh'. There even appears to be some ground for belief that Cockersand itself was at one time a port. Perhaps the tradition that Cockersand Abbey once stood on an island is due to its having been surrounded by the quagmires of Thurnham Moss. Some apparent substance was, however, given to this belief when the tidal wave, that rose during the night of 17^th, March 1907, temporarily isolated the site of the Abbey from the mainland.

At Crook Farm, north of Cockersand and opposite Sunderland Point, a portion of the land rises thirty-eight feet above sea level and is known locally as Chapel Hill. Possibly a small square chapel may have stood on this hill. Much of the stone from the original Abbey has been re-used in recent times and an example of this may be seen in the buildings of Crook Farm. Other portions of the buildings have been washed away by the sea. Part of the core of a wall at the south west corner of the site of the Abbey still remains and is referred to locally as the ruins of 'John's Hall'. This may possibly be the remains of a structure called King John's Hall by the Commissioners of Henry VIII. Tradition states that the bells of the steeple of Cockersand Abbey are now in the tower of Cockerham Church; if this is so they have almost certainly been recast.

The Premonstratensians were Canons Regular, which means that they were living under rule. An Abbot always held the highest office. The Order was established on Christmas Day 1121 at a place called Premontre. The Virgin Mary indicated Premontre to St. Norbert, the founder of the Order, in a vision in a lonely place in the forest of St. Gobain, near Zaon. The Canons of Premontre became known as Norbertine or White Canons, white on account of the white habit they wore as a symbol of purity. The Order grew rapidly. Each Norbertine Canon is said to regard himself as a child of Mary and to owe her special devotion.

The first English house of Premontre was established at Newhouse in Lincolnshire in 1143. Among the many daughter houses of Newhouse was Croxton in Leicestershire and it is this house which was the motherhouse of Cockersand Abbey, which was founded in about 1190.

Cockersand Abbey takes its origin from the hermitage founded in 1180 by Hugh Garth, a recluse held in great reverence locally. The hermitage gave place to a hospital for the infirm and lepers. It was however given to the White Canons of Croxton who first founded a priory here. Pope Clement III confirmed the priory on 6th June 1190 as a Premonstratensian monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Before ten years had passed the priory rose by means of benefactions to the degree of an abbey. It is recorded that the Abbey suffered severely during the time of the Scottish invasion of 1316.

The site of the monastery lies on the Cockersand Abbey Farm and between the farmhouse and the sea. The farm orchard extends up to the Chapter House, the only part of the buildings that now remain. The rest of the walls are either very low or covered up. The structural remains are either a dark reddish sandstone or of a gray or light yellow millstone‑grit. There is a shield carved in grit‑stone on the top of the wall on the south side of the Chapter House.

The majority of Premonstratensian churches are similar in design and layout. However it seems that Cockersand does not conform to the regular designs. Firstly, the Chapter House at Cockersand appears to be the only example of octagonal form in a Premonstratensian house in this country. The other main point of difference is that of a partly detached Lady Chapel. This is borne out by the records of the Commissioners of Henry VIII. One of the interesting features inside the Chapter House is the vaulting and the carved foliage on the central pier. This is shown in the drawing below. Documentary evidence shows that a Lady Chapel formed an important part of Cockersand Abbey Church. The Chapter room is supposed to be one of the earliest polygonal chapter houses in England and Wales. It was probably erected in the early part of the 13^th Century. The vaulting is unusual since it has been divided into four irregular quadripartite cells. The Abbey was also said to have had six bells in the steeple. The earlier monastic buildings at Cockersand were probably built at about the time of the establishment of the Priory in 1190.

Ruins of Cockersand Abby – The Chapter house – On the River Lune, Lancashire.

Substantial remains exist of the Chapter House of Cockersand Abbey, dating from the mid-13th Century. During the 18th Century the Chapter House was converted into a burial chamber for the Dalton family of Thurnham Hall. The rest of the Abbey was dismantled and some of its stone used for local region farm buildings and sea defense works.

At Thurnham Hall there used to be a large richly carved 16^th Century chest, possibly the work of a Flemish carver. It bore a metal plate stating that it was the property of the Canons of Cockersand Abbey. At one end of this chest there was a representation of a figure holding a small church with a steeple which it has been suggested might be the old Abbey church. This chest would have contained the old charters and title deeds.

The Abbey remained until the Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries in 1539 when Abbot Poulton and twenty-two Canons surrendered Cockersand Abbey to the Crown. John Kitchen of Hatfield, Hertfordshire purchased the property from the Crown in 1543 for 798p 8s 6d. He farmed the estates of the house and his daughter, Anne, married Robert Dalton of Bispham who had purchased Thurnham Hall. He died in 1580. So the estates of Cockersand Abbey were duly passed into the Dalton family of Thurnham Hall and there they have remained ever since.

Another history of the founding of Cockersand Abbey:
Copied from a book found at the LDS Family History Library in SLC Utah.

Book No. 942.7 C4c Vol. 3- 1885 at the LDS FHL in SLC.

Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquqrian society:

For a time the little house of Cockersand seems to have been in some way connected with the great establishment of St. Mary, at Leicester. But in the year 1190 Theobald Walter, brother of Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a foundation charter. The deed declares that the donor gives and confirms " all my Haia of Pylin to God and the blessed Mary and the Abbot and Canons of the Premonstratencian Order there serving God, in clear perpetual alms, for the building there of an Abbey of that Order."

Thus the little hospital blossomed into an abbey, and in 1190 Pope Clement confirmed to the prior of the Hospital of Cockersand that the house should be called the Monastery of St. Mary, of the Premonstratensian Order of Cockersand. Richard I also confirmed the charters and John confirmed to the canons of Cockersand the pasturage of " Pilin," the place of " Cokersond," and they’re other acquisitions. In 1215 John again confirmed to “God and the Blessed Mary of Cokersand, and the abbot and canons of the Premonstra- tensian Order there, the patronage of the Church of Garstang, which they had by the gift of Gilbert Fitz-Reinfrid."

In the same year John confirmed to the abbey lands in Bolton-le-Sands, Newbiggin, and other places in the county of Lancaster. In John's reign the canons declare themselves to be troubled at the time of their election of they’re Abbot with the gentlemen of the country, they’re neighbors, and made suit to the King for his Maintenance to have free election amongst themselves. For this privilege of free election the monastery agreed to pay to the crown the sum of twenty shillings on every election. Grants of land and liberties flowed in upon the little monastery, until in 1292 the abbot claimed to exercise rights and privileges in nearly two hundred different townships. Notwithstanding this, the canons, in requesting Richard II to confirm their charters, style themselves" The King's poor Chaplains," and pray for a consideration of their poverty and that they are daily exposed to perils and destruction by the sea.

The possession of property brought with it trouble and responsibilities. The Chartulary of Lancaster Priory records two vehement disputes in 1216 and in 1256 between the Priory of Lancaster and the Abbey of Cockersand, as to the right to levy tithes in the neighboring townships.

For the next two centuries little is known of Cockersand, but at the commencement of the sixteenth century the rent rolls of the abbey was carefully written out by James Skypton, then the cellarer and afterwards abbot of the house. This rent roll, with its long list of tenants, is now in the Chetham Library and was printed in full in volume Ivii. of the publications of the Chetham Society.

When, a few years later, the storm of the dissolution came the monastery of Cockersand bent before the wind. The annual value of the house was stated to be 157p. 14s, and the abbey therefore fell with the other monastic institutions, the income of which being under 200p a year were condemned to be swept away. But the monks of Cockersand stoutly contended that the income of their house amounted to more than 200p a year, and that therefore the abbey ought not to be dissolved.

Another survey enumerates the various lands, which the abbey held. The demesne lands of the abbey were not extensive, but the lands in Pilling were kept by the abbot in his own hands. There was a windmill and a little moss for turbary. There were also barns at Garstang, at Winmarleigh, at Clevely and at Skerton. The rectory of Mitton also brought in a certain amount of tithe to the abbey.

The visitors left, and the monks of Cockersand waited as patiently as they could for the verdict, which was to confirm them in their home by the waves or to drive them forth to the four winds. And for a time their hopes revived, the king's letters patent restored the abbey, and confirmed Robert Pulton in the abbot’s chair. But the respite was a short one. In 1540 the monastery shared the ruin of the rest of the larger religious houses, and the monks were driven from it never to return.

Shortly after the dissolution of the abbey, another survey was taken of the abbey lands. These lands, including the site of the monastery, were declared to be worth 34p 12s per annum and it was declared that there was "no man that will buy the said demesnes but only John Kechyn." Accordingly, "John Kechyn, of Hatfield, in the County of Hertshire, Esquire," was on the sixth day of June 1544, declared the purchaser at the sum named. On his daughter's marriage the abbey lands passed to Robert Dalton, of Bispham, by whose descendant in the female line, Sir Gerald Fitzgerald, they are held at the present time. Of the abbey itself but little remains. The chapter house alone stands complete, Octagonal in form, with its roof supported in the centre by a single shaft, the chapter house is indeed a worthy relic of the once flourishing abbey. Its diameter is thirty feet, its walls two feet six inches in thickness. Its windows, five in number, have been partly blocked, and the floor has been considerably raised in order to render it available as the mausoleum of the Dalton family. In front of the chapter house was a vestibule of, which no trace now remains. To the north stood the church, long, narrow and aisle less. On the eastern side of the south transept were two chapels and perhaps the sacristy; the blase of the column dividing the chapels is still to be seen. On the eastern side of the north transept were two or possibly three chapels. Of the Church only small portions of the wall of the nave and transepts and the base of a column now remain.

Above layout is of the ruins of Cockersand Abbey, near the shore of the Lune River in Lancaster, England.

On the inside upon the sides there are seven arched panels laterally ornamented with quaintly carved stone heads; the majority being in a fair state of preservation.

The floor is flagged, and upon it, in different parts, chiefly on the centre flags, the following names are inscribed, the bulk of those to whom they refer having, at time and time, been interred in the Chapterhouse: J. Bushell. L. Bushell. R. D., senr. E. Dalton. March 15th, 1865. B. D. M. D, junr. John Dalton, senr. M. D., senr. C. D. R. D., junr, E N. senr. E. N., junr. Upon a panel-shaped slab fixed on the south-western side, there is this inscription: “To the memory of Mary, wife of John Dalton, Esq, of Thurnham Hall, who died April 25th, 1819, aged 65 years; of Mary, their daughter, who died August 17th, 1820, aged 44; of Beatrice, their daughter, who died August 15th, 1821, aged 37; and of Charlotte, their daughter, who died February 26th, 1802, aged 16, who lie here interred. Also John Dalton, junr., Esq., their son, who died May 18th, 1819, aged 41, and was interred in the Cathedral at Bath. R.I.P. And of John Dalton, senr., Esqr., husband and father to the above, who died March 10th, 1837, aged 90; also Lucy Bushell, their daughter, who died November 4th, 1843, aged 67; and Joseph Bushell, her husband, who died January 27th, 1860, aged 69 years. Also Elizabeth, daughter of John Dalton, senr., Esqr., who died March 15th, 1861, aged 81 years. R.I.P.” On the opposite side, upon a similar slab, is this inscription: ” To the memory of Robert Dalton, Esq., of Thurnham Hall, who died 22nd July, MDCCLXXXV; also Cecily his wife, who died 3rd May, MDCCXLIX; also Elizabeth, his second wife; also Frances, his daughter to his first wife; also Robert, his son to his second wife; also Bridget Metcalf, daughter to his third wife; who lie here interred. This stone was placed by John Dalton, Esqr., of Thurnham Hall, in the year of Our Lord MDCCCX. R.I.P. Elizabeth Naylor, died Aug. 13, 1816.” To the left of this a diamond-shaped slab, fixed against the wall, bears the inscription; Charlotte Dalton, obt. 26 Feb., 1802, aged 16. RIP.” And on the other side, on a similar stone, is the following: ” Elizabeth Mary Angelina Naylor, obt. 24 July, 1810, aged 14. RIP.” The inscriptions on the flags in the floor are evidently a sort of resume or condensation of the names contained on the mural slabs.

Mr. Joseph Bushell, who married one of Squire Dalton’s daughters, and whose name appears amongst those in the Chapter house, was a magistrate, and for some time chairman of the Lancaster and Preston Railway Company and he resided at Dolphinlee, near Lancaster. The earliest date recorded amongst the foregoing inscriptions relates to Robert Dalton’s first wife, who was interred in the Chapter house in 1749. But nearly 40 years before that time there was an interment at the Abbey, and probably in the Chapter house. During the interval as well as more remotely there may also have been burials in it. When the Chapter house was first used for the interment of members or relatives of the Dalton family it is now impossible to say.

Tyldesley has the following entry in his diary, under date December 10th, 1712: “Went to Thurnham to poor W. Houghton funeral, where most of the neighboring gentlemen was. Wee carryed him to the Abbey. This “poor Mr. Houghton” was an army officer, and younger brother of John Houghton, who assumed the name and arms of Dalton; and he was a great grandson of Thomas Houghton, the Royalist colonel, who was fatally wounded at the second battle of Newbury in 1644.

The last person interred in the Chapter house of Cockersand Abbey was Miss Elizabeth Dalton. Her funeral, which took place on the 21st of March 1861, was of a very imposing character. After Mass in Thurnham Church, the remains, preceded by upwards of 40 of the tenantry, on horseback, were conveyed to the Chapter house, the interment therein being accompanied with all the solemn funereal rites of the Catholic Church. At Thurnham Hall there was subsequently a large gathering, and during the proceedings 81 loaves, a number corresponding with the years forming the deceased lady’s age, were distributed.

Before we end Chapter 1, lets view a very important document that lists our Dalton family in various years of their history. This document verifies much of the written history put together by many, many Dalton researchers.

The following data is from the many Volumes of the Victoria County History of Lancashire. Many thanks to Michael Cayley, the Historian of the Dalton Genealogical Society in England who copied and summarized them. This document from these Volumes of the VCH of Lancashire.

Victoria County Histories of Lancashire:
Complied and edited by Michael Cayley.

Vol. 2 page 110 - 1456-8
William Dalton was prior of Lytham.

Vol. 2 page 123 - 1516 -
The auditor of the apostolic chamber issued a decree on behalf of John Dalton, abbot of Furness, and some monks who had been thrown into prison by Alexander Banke, who subsequently became the penultimate abbot before the dissolution, during a suit about the monastery’s rights.

Vol. 2 page 130 - 1196 –
Michael of Dalton was abbot of Furness.

Vol. 2 page 129 – 1412-
The coucher (a large breviary which lies permanently on a desk or table) of Furness Abbey was compiled by the monk John Stell at the command of the abbot William Dalton.

Vol. 2 page 131 - 1416-7 -
William Dalton, abbot of Furness died. John Dalton is cited as abbot of Furness in the years 1514-1516.

Vol. 2 page 150 - 1347 -
Thomas of Leatherhead, prior of Burscough, was indicted for alleged participation in the abduction of Margery, widow of Nicholas de la Beche, by John de Dalton and others, in which two people were killed and others injured. Witnesses came forward to establish Thomas’ innocence.

Vol. 2 page 157 - 2 September 1543 –
John Kitchen bought the site and demesne of Cockersand Abbey from the crown for £700. By the marriage of his eldest daughter Anne to Robert Dalton of Thurnham Hall the Abbey passed to the Dalton’s.

Vol. 2 page 165 -
When Thomas of Lancaster forfeited his lands, William de Dalton became warden of the Hospital of St Leonard, Lancaster. He ejected some of the lepers and the poor and sublet the wardenship to Alan de Thornton and William de Skipton, who diverted much of the revenue of the Hospital for their own use. Following complaints, there was an official enquiry and in 1326 the crown appointed a new warden.

Vol. 2 page 172 – 1527-
Syon Abbey (Middlesex) owned the priory of Lancaster in 1527. Syon Abbey was dissolved in 1540. In 1557 the crown sold the bulk of the Lancaster Priory estate to Robert Dalton of Bispham for £1667.

Vol. 2 page 204 - 1347 -
John, son of Sir Robert de Dalton, and many other knights and others, mostly from Lancashire, abducted Margery, widow of Nicholas de la Beche, by night from the manor of Beaumes near Reading, within the verge of the court of Lionel Duke of Clarence, son of the king and keeper of the realm while the king was abroad. They killed Margery’s uncle.

Vol. 2 page 245 – 1715-
Richard Dalton was one of the Lancastrians taken prisoner at the collapse of the 1st Jacobite Rebellion and sent to London. John Dalton was pardoned.

Vol. 2 page 564 –1557-
Robert Dalton bought Lune mill from the crown in 1557/8. The mayor and burgesses of Lancaster rented it from him for 6s 8d a year until in 1571 a flood destroyed it. Robert Dalton died a few years after 1571, and the inquisition post mortem on his estate was held at Wigan on 13 January 1578/9.

Vol. 3 page 151 – 1347-
Robert de Dalton had lands in Halewood. His son Sir John, Lord of Bispham, did too. By a settlement dated 1367, the remainders went to Sir John’s sons, John and Robert. The property consisted of a house, garden and 40 acres at a rent of 7s a year. In 1443 Robert, younger son of Sir John Dalton and grandson of another Sir John Dalton, sued Katherine, widow of his elder brother Richard, in connection with these lands, and his niece Alice was called to warrant her mother. In 1472 Robert Dalton of Bispham and his son & heir apparent Richard leased their Halewood lands to Robert Lathom of Allerton for 39 years at a rent of 40s.

Vol. 3 page 251 – 1391-
Joan daughter of Hugh Venables married Sir Thomas de Lathom who inherited the family lands in 1370 and died in early 1382. They had a son Thomas who died in 1383, leaving a widow Isabel who subsequently married Sir John de Dalton. Isabel and Sir John were related within the fourth degree, and because they knew this when they married they were excommunicated. They separated and were given a license to remarry and a papal dispensation in 1391. The dispensation declared that their children would be legitimate.

Vol. 3 page 254 – 1323-
Emma, wife of Robert de Taldeford, claimed lands at Taldeford (a hamlet near Lathom) from Sir Robert de Dalton of Bispham and his wife Mary and Robert de Bispham.

Vol. 3 page 401 – 1753-
In a fine of 1753 Ditton was included in the Dalton manors. In 1755 Robert Dalton sold or mortgaged his Ditchfield Hall estate there and sold Marsh Green to William Woods, skinner.

Vol. 3 page 411 - 1325 -
Godith de Penketh and her seven sisters inherited land at Penketh. She married John de Dalton, clerk, from whom his son Richard de Dalton claimed a messuage in 1325.

Vol. 4 page 94 - 1347 -
After abducting Margery de la Beche, Sir John de Dalton and his accomplices took refuge for a period in the then vacant manor of Dame Maud de Holland at Upholland. They fled north when the king’s writ for their arrest arrived.

Vol. 4 page 98 - 1291 -
The Dalton’s probably held their lands in Dalton under the Holland’s and their successors.

1291-
Robert de Dalton mentioned (Inq. and extracts 276)

1305-
Robert de Dalton claimed common of pasture from Ellen, widow of Henry de Lathom, and prior of Burscough. He allowed the prior to approve in the hey of Dalton. Another Dalton family held land from the Torbocks: Gilbert son of Alan de Dalton refers to “my Lord, Henry de Turbock” [VCH gives no date].

1369-
Sir John de Dalton who abducted Margery de la Beche, died holding 40 acres in Dalton from Roger la Warr at a rent of 9d a year. Ellen wife of Robert de Urswick was executrix.

Vol. 4 page 100 - About 1437 -
John de Ashurst married a daughter of Roger de Dalton.

Vol. 5 page 90 -
Isabel daughter of Roger de Pilkington married (1) Thomas son of Sir Thomas de Lathom and (2) Sir John de Dalton.

Vol. 5 page 247 - 1521 -
Lady Strange held land in Chorley and Bolton from Thomas Ashton and Roger Dalton of Croston.

Vol. 6 page 82 – 1525-
Robert Dalton was one of the Croston landowners contributing to the lay subsidy.

Vol. 6 page 88 -
From August 1439 to c.1443 Richard Dalton was vicar of Croston.

Vol. 6 page 92 -
Elizabeth (daughter of William Fleming of Wath who died about 1470) married Robert Dalton of Bispham and her share in Croston descended through the Dalton’s until it was sold in 1558 to Sir Thomas Hesketh of Rufford.

1482-
Robert Dalton claimed a moiety of Croston from Margaret Dalton (widow), Richard Dalton and Elizabeth, Richard’s wife. Richard Dalton owned the share in 1500.

1500-
Roger (son of Richard Dalton) granted some land in Croston and Mawdesley. There were various transactions and disputes with the Hesketh family about the Croston lands.

1533-
William Dalton demised land in Croston to Thomas Hough.

1558-
Robert Dalton of Bispham and Joan (widow of William Dalton) sold their interests in Croston to Sir Thomas Hesketh.

Vol. 6 page 94 - 1556 -
Richard Dalton bought property in Croston and Mawdesley from Joan Dalton (widow), Robert Dalton and Anne, Robert’s wife.

Vol. 6 page 95 - 1546 -
Joan, widow of William Dalton claimed land in Croston from Henry Croston. In 1545 she and her son Robert, William’s heir, acquired land in Croston.

Vol. 6 page 101-2 -
Sir Robert de Dalton held Bispham in about 1324 and died in 1350. He and his son Sir John fought at Crecy in 1346.

1348 -
Sir Robert de Dalton and his wife Mary were pardoned for any part they may have played in the abduction of Margery de la Beche.Sir John was pardoned shortly after on account of his “good service”.

1369 -
Sir John de Dalton died, holding Bispham from Sir William de Ferrers and others at a rent of 3s 4d: his heir John, a son by a later wife was then 6. In his settlement he names his wife Ellen (who later married Robert de Urswick of Up Rawcliffe) and his younger son Robert

1385 -
Sir John’s heir John, later a knight, was pardoned for marrying Isabel daughter of Roger de Pilkington without license of the Duke of Lancaster. He left two sons: the elder, Richard, married Katherine and their daughter & heir Alice married William Griffith in or before 1448. John’s younger son Robert recovered some lands in Bispham but failed in a claim for the main manor. Robert’s son Richard married Elizabeth daughter & coheir of William Fleming of Croston and was followed by his son Roger (who in 1492 made a feoffment of his lands) and grandson William I: a grant of 1500 to William gave the remainder to William’s brother Richard.

1527 -
Roger Dalton (son & heir of Richard) and William II (Rogers son and heir apparent) made a grant which mentions Rogers Uncle William I, as still living. William I’s will (1543) is in the British Library (Add 32104 f.1474) and names his wife Jane, his younger son Richard, his four daughters and his Uncle Richard Radcliffe.

1558 -
Robert son of William I sold the Bispham estate to William Stopford. In December 1557 Robert Dalton of Bispham and his mother Joan entered into various covenants in connection with the sale.

Vol. 6 page 132 -
In late 15th century Joan, Lady Strange held a moiety of Chorley from Thomas Ashton and Roger Dalton of Croston.

Vol. 6 page 206 -
John Houghton’s son William (born 1659) married the daughter and ultimate heir of Robert Dalton of Thurnham. In about 1710 their son John took the name and arms of Dalton. In the latter 18th century the Dalton’s sold Park Hall, Charnock

Vol. 6 page 208 – 1717-
Robert Dalton was, as a papist, doubly assessed for lands at Charnock, which he registered.

Vol. 7 page 255 – 1579-
Lands at Cockersand were granted to Roger Dalton for 21 years

Vol. 7 page 257 – 1357-
William son of John de Hackinsall and his wife Alice granted the manor of Hackinsall to John son of Robert de Dalton for life.

Vol. 7 page 259-60 – 1569-
Robert and Thomas Dalton bought the manor of Hackinsall, with a dovecote and lands, from Richard Hothesall and his wife Anne.

1578 -
Robert Dalton of Thurnham held a fourth part of the manor of Preesall with Hackinsall. His heir was Robert son of his brother Thomas. Roger Dalton acquired part of the Cockersand Abbey estate after the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1586 Anne Dalton granted this to feoffees. In 1587 the feoffees and Roger Dalton sold most of it to Robert Brindloss of Borwick. Roger Dalton died in 1595 holding the Lower End of Pilling.

1581 -
Roger Dalton claimed turbary (the right to cut peat or turf from someone else’s land or from common land for fuel) in Preesall Moss and a property there

1601-
Robert Dalton claimed land at Cockersand called Tunges.

Vol. 7 page 333 – 1557-
Pilling was settled on Anne daughter of John Kitchen. Anne was the wife of Robert Dalton and died without issue in 1593, having outlived her husband. Her heir was her brother Barnaby Kitchen, age 58.

Vol. 8 page 15 – 1574-
The mayor and corporation of Lancaster granted Robert Dalton of Thurnham a lease of a plot called Green Acre in the waste of Lancaster, for him to build a large house for a watermill, or for two mills, with permission to make a dam and millstream. The mill probably replaced the old priory mill in Bulk

Vol. 8 page 41 – 1578-
Robert Dalton of Thurnham died, holding 15 acres in Lancaster, which used to belong to the friars.

1582-
The Ringmaiden family’s estate in Lancaster was sold to Roger Dalton.

1784-
Private Act passed to allow John Dalton to grant leases of tje Friarage etc.

Vol. 8 page 42 - 1579 -
Robert Dalton bought some unidentified lands previously belonging to Lancaster Priory.

Vol. 8 page 48 - March 1557-
Aldcliffe and Bulk were sold by the Crown to Robert Dalton I of Thurnham. In due course one portion went with Dorothy (younger daughter and coheir of Robert Dalton III who died in 1700) to the Riddells of Swinburne Castle, Northumberland. The rest, having been devoted to the maintenance of Roman Catholic secular clergy, was confiscated by the government in 1716 after an inquiry. Dorothy Dalton’s husband Edward Riddell died in 1731. Their son Thomas took part in the 1st Jacobite Rebellion, was imprisoned at Lancaster, escaped and shared in the general pardon. Thomas was succeed by his son Thomas whose third son Ralph Riddell ultimately became his heir.

Vol. 8 page 49 – 1626-
Robert Dalton II gave the manor of Aldcliffe (held from the king by knight’s service) in trust for his younger daughters, sisters of the Thomas Dalton who was mortally wounded in the 2nd battle of Newbury. There were 11 daughters, but 4 had probably died, unmarried, by 1664. 7 of them were convicted of recusancy in 1640 and in 1643 two-thirds of their Aldcliffe estate was confiscated by Parliament. Two were still living at Aldcliffe in 1674 and the house became known as the “Catholic Virgins”. The daughters left their interest to Robert Dalton of Thurnham in trust for the use of priests of whom Peter Gooden was the first - he had a small school there for boys who might go on to seminaries abroad.

Vol. 8 page 50 – 1557-
The crown sold Bulk to Robert Dalton of Thurnham. In 1569 and 1576 Robert Dalton obtained the reversion of messuages in Bulk held for a set period by Francis Tunstall and Christopher Preston.

Vol. 8 Page 58 – 1557-
The Crown sold to Robert Dalton, along with Aldcliffe and Bulk, the lands at Scotforth previously owned by Lancaster Priory.

Vol. 8 page 60 – 1749-
Robert Dalton sold part of the Lune fishery.

Vol. 8 page 74 -
In the early part of 1570 Roger Dalton had a lease of some property at Middleton.

Vol. 8 page 81 - 1688 -
Robert Dalton of Thurnham held the manor of Caton. With Dorothy, one of his daughters, it went to Dorothy’s husband Edward Riddell of Swinburne Castle.

Vol. 8 page 82 -
The priory estate at Caton was regarded as a dependency of the manor of Bulk and passed to Robert Dalton of Thurnham [presumably in 1557]

Vol. 8 page 90 -
Between 1629 and 1631 Thomas Dalton compounded for £15 to save two-thirds of the Thurnham estates from sequestration for his being a Roman Catholic.

Vol. 8 page 95 -
John Dalton of Barton-on-Humber forfeited some lands in Cockerham during the Commonwealth. He preferred to confess delinquency rather than wait for the decision of the Barons of the Exchequer. He was fined £46.

Vol. 8 page 100 - 1578 -
Robert Dalton I of Thurnham held land in Ellel from the queen by knight’s service. This land had been part of the Cockersand estate.

The will of Anne, wife of Robert Dalton I, was dated 1593.

Robert Dalton II was a recusant. He was present at the Queensmore meeting in 1625. He died in 1626 and was succeeded by his son Thomas (born in 1609). Thomas, a Roman Catholic, was at a royalist meeting at Highton Tower in July 1642 and raised a royalist troop of horse. He was fatally wounded in the second battle of Newbury on 27 October 1644, and died at Marlborough a week later. Thomas’s son and heir Robert Dalton III was 5 when his father died. The estates were seized by Parliament. In 1678 Robert Dalton III was indicted for recusancy. In 1689 he was imprisoned with other Catholic gentry for not supporting the Glorious Revolution. He obtained from John Calvert and John’s wife Elizabeth a third part of the manors of Thurnham and Bulk, with messuages, a dovecote, fishery etc. In 1688 he made a settlement of his manors at Thurnham, Caton etc.

Robert Dalton III died in 1700 and his two daughters inherited. Elizabeth, the elder, married William Hoghton of Park Hall in Charnock and inherited Thurnham, Bulk and other properties. Dorothy, the younger, married Edward Riddell of Swinburne Castle, Northumberland and inherited Caton and a moiety of Aldcliffe. John, son of William and Elizabeth Hoghton, assumed the surname Dalton in 1710 and succeeded his father in 1712: a staunch Roman Catholic and Jacobite, he joined the 1st Jacobite Rebellion at Lancaster in 1715 and was captured at Preston. His life was spared and he redeemed his estates for £6,000. He died in 1736. His son Robert Dalton IV died in 1785.

In 1753 Robert Dalton IV and his wife Elizabeth and others made a feoffment of the manors of Thurnham, Glasson, Bulk and Ditton. His son was John Dalton. In 1799 there was a recovery of the manors of Thurnham and Bulk and the vouchers were John Dalton the elder and John Dalton the younger. John Dalton heir of Robert Dalton IV had several children but at his death in 1837 his heirs were two daughters: Lucy, wife of Joseph Bushell, who died without issue in 1843; and Elizabeth who died unmarried at Thurnham in 1861.

John Dalton son of Robert Dalton IV made a settlement to deny his property to his brother William Hoghton Dalton, a Protestant, and W.H.Dalton’s descendants. When John died, the manor of Thurnham went to a cousin, Sir James George Fitzgerald, who took the additional surname Dalton. Sir James was the son of James Fitzgerald (died in 1839) who in turn was the son of James Fitzgerald by his wife Bridget Anne Dalton, daughter of Robert Dalton IV of Thurnham by his third wife. Sir James died in 1867 and was succeeded by his brother Gerald Richard Fitzgerald, who likewise took the additional surname Dalton. When Gerald died in 1894, Thurnham went to William Henry Dalton, son of the William Hoghton Dalton whom John Dalton had sought to debar. William Henry Dalton was faced with a lot of litigation about his inheritance; he died in 1902 and was succeeded by his 28-year old son John Henry Dalton.

Vol. 8 page 104 -
The Dalton family portraits were at Boghods Hall, Essex.

Vol. 8 page 106 -
The Dalton family used the chapter house of Cockersand Abbey as a burial place from the mid 18th century to 1861 when Elizabeth Dalton was buried there. The chapter house contains numerous Dalton memorials. The earliest is dated 1749 and relates to the first wife of Robert Dalton IV.

In 1543 the Crown granted the site of Cockersand Abbey to John Kitchen whose daughter Anne married Robert Dalton I who seems to have held Cockersand absolutely: he died in 1578 holding the site from the queen by knight’s service. He also held
Cockshotts in Ellel and the Bankhouses in Cockerham. All passed to his nephew Robert Dalton III who held by knight’s service in 1626.

Vol. 8 page 107 – 1582-
Roger Dalton claimed the land, which Furness Abbey had held in Forton by virtue of a lease from the queen, but William Corless, the holder, claimed he had it from a former lessee whose term had not run out.

Vol. 8, page 113 – 1557
Robert Dalton acquired land in Heysham when he bought Aldcliffe and Bulk from the Crown.

Vol. 8, page 170 – 1358-
John son of Robert de Dalton had custody of lands at Borwick belonging to John (son and heir of Ralph de Berwick) who was a minor.

Vol. 8 page 184 - 1288 -
Roger de Burton complained that Roger son of Henry de Croft and Ralph son of Ralph de Dalton had deprived him of estovers in 100 acres in Dalton belonging to his manor of Burton.

Vol. 8, page 185 – 1278-
Benedict Gernet in right of his wife Margaret held land in Dalton which had belonged to Hugh de Dalton whose son Thomas was claiming it.

Vol. 8, page 247 – 1349-
Ralph de Berwick held 60 acres at Whittington from Sir Robert de Dalton by knight’s service at a rent of 2s.

1369-
Sir John de Dalton held lands in Whittington from the Lords de Coucy for knight’s service. The free tenants paid a rent of 43s 4d. The tenants at will paid 40s for 60 acres.

Vol. 8 page 269 - 1611 -
James I sold the manor of Lindale to John Edred and another, who transferred it to Robert Dalton and another, who sold it in 1622 to William Thornburgh.

Vol. 8 page 279-
The Lancashire visitation of 1613 mentions that Robert Thornburgh married Jane daughter of Thomas Dalton of Thurnham.

Victoria County Histories of Yorkshire:
Complied and edited by Michael Cayley.

Vol. 1 page 424 - 27 October 1304-
The Chapter of Beverley gave Robert of Dalton, clerk, 9 days to stop teaching at a school he had established at Dalton or he would be publicly excommunicated in Dalton church. This order was made at the instigation of Thomas of Brompton, who himself ran a school. Robert took little notice of the order and on 9 March 1306 the chapter of Beverley ordered 2 clerks to tell Robert to cease teaching within 3 days, and, if he ignored the order, to excommunicate him. Robert failed to comply and was duly excommunicated. On 8 November 1306 he was absolved. The background is probably that Robert, like a number of others in the area, had established an unlicensed school.

Vol. 1 page 514 – 1334-
Pleas of the forest were held at Pickering for the royal forest of Pickering. Pleas of the forest were court sessions which investigated possible offences against the forestry laws, held officers of the forest to account, and handled administrative matters. The constables of Pickering Castle acted also as wardens for the forest and had to present their records - the "rolls and muniments" of the forest. One of the former constables (under Thomas Earl of Lancaster who was executed in April 1322) was John Dalton. His returns showed that when he was warden he took 134 harts and 158 hinds, bucks and does. In addition he allowed Henry Percy to take five hinds, and he gave away three hinds, three red deer fawns, two fallow deer and two roe deer. The deer in the forest were the property of the monarch and could not be killed or taken without official permission. John Dalton proved, with the help of warrants, that Earl Thomas had ordered him to take deer and give them away. He produced evidence for authority to deliver 72 harts, 56 hinds and 42 fallow-deer for the Earl's larder; 14 harts and 18 hinds as a tithe to the abbot of St Mary's, York; 3 hinds to the Bishop of Ely; and many single deer to leading local families. Two roe deer and two red deer fawns had been accidentally taken by his hounds and he had been unable to save them. He denied giving away three hinds and two fallow deer but the judgement on this went against him and he was fined £2 and required to produce sureties for good behaviour. Permission to fell trees was also subject to official authorisation. While John Dalton was warden, several hundred oaks were felled, mainly for works on Pickering Castle. John Dalton produced authority for all but five oaks, and for these five he was fined 6d and oak plus 30s.

Vol. 2 page 452 -
George Dalton was a bell founder at Stonegate, York. In 1764 he moved his premises to Lendal, where there was more waterpower. Over 70 of his bells survive, including rings at North Cave, Market Weighton, Easingwold, Burnsall, and St Olave’s, York. R. Dalton cast a ring of bells for Tadcaster in 1784. George’s sons Henry and Robert moved to Castle Howard and Knaresborough respectively, but there is no evidence of them continuing the bell-founding business.

Vol. 3 page 111 –
William Dalton became abbot of St Mary’s Abbey, York in 1422 - he died in 1423.

Vol. 3 page 121 -
Alice Dalton, a nun of Nunkeeling, was guilty of immorality and had apostatized. Making penance at Yedingham, she showed considerable contrition and asked to return to Nunkeeling. On 4 March 1444 Archbishop Kemp wrote to Joan Bramston, the prioress of Nunkeeling, telling her to arrange for Alice to be received back.

Vol. 3 page 175 - November 1322-
The nuns of Rosedale were dispersed because of the raiding of the Scots. By June 1323 they were re-gathering at Rosedale.

On 3 June 1323 the Archbishop ordered the priore to readmit Joan de Dalton.

Vol. 3 page 255 -
Roger, de Dalton is mentioned as prior of Watton (a Gilbertine house) in the period from 1267 to 1272.

Vol. 3 page 266 – 1350-
Richard de Dalton was warden of Beverley Friary (a Grey Friar’s establishment)

Yorkshire, East Riding:
Vol. 1 page 54 – 1488-
John Dalton (d.1496), mayor of Hull, was appointed commissioner of the Humber (acting as admiral)

Vol. 1 page 81 -
Thomas Dalton, (d.1503) asked for services to be sung for his soul by all the priests of the table at Holy Trinity, Hull, accompanied by the ringing of the great bell, and in addition after his wife’s death “the bellman to go about the town after the custom”

Vol. 1 page 84 -
Agnes (d.1459) wife of John Bedford, merchant of Hull, had previously married 2 other merchants, Richard Dalton of Hull and John Strother (? of Newcastle). Katherine, the daughter of Robert Alcock (d. 1484) merchant of Hull married first John Dalton merchant (d. 1496) and then Robert Harrison merchant. The Dalton merchants of Hull were related to those of York.

Vol. 1 page 113 and 125 -
Four members of the Dalton family served as aldermen of Hull, two of these also as MPs; another, Sir William, was recorder (and would have been consulted on the town’s customs and privileges). The recorder received a fee and occasional presents of ale and wine from the corporation

Vol. 1 page 122 -
The Dalton's abandoned municipal affairs at Hull after the resignation of Robert Dalton (d.1626) from the magistracy in 1602. They then featured as wealthy East Riding gentry, and one, Sir William, was King’s Attorney in the North.

Vol. 1 page 141 -
Thomas Dalton of Hull (d.1503) was also a Calais Stapler, trading in wool, cloth and lead.

Vol. 1 page 303 – 1668-
Anthony Lambert and William Skinner granted the rectory of Sculcoates to John Dalton.

Vol. 1 page 333 – 1558-
The Carthusian Priory at Hull was acquired by Sir Henry Gate and Thomas Dalton (d.1591)

Vol. 1 page 347 -
John Dalton at a date not known bequeathed £5 to the corporation of Hull for the poor. In 1619 the funds were amalgamated with other funds held by the mayor for the poor.

Thomas Dalton (d.1591) and John Gregory left a house and garden in Hull for the benefit of the poor.

Vol. 1 page 461 -
Matthew St Quintin sold land in Southcoates to Thomas Dalton (d.1591) in 1569 and the Dalton’s held land there until the end of the 17th century.

1574 Henry Curdeux sold land in Southcoates to Thomas Dalton (d.1591). In 1653 John Dalton exchanged this land with Joseph and John Micklethwaite

Vol. 1 page 462 -
By some date before 1628 Robert Dalton owned Drypool Grange.

Vol. 1 page 464 -
Shortly before 1682 John Dalton sold Kirk Field at Drypool to the Crown for the construction of a citadel.

Vol. 1 page 468 – 1558-
Sir Henry Gate and Thomas Dalton (d.1591) acquired the manor of Sculcoates. In 1560 they are said to have divided it between them, with two-thirds going to Thomas Dalton

Vol. 1 page 472 -
1569 Matthew St Quintin sold land at Sutton to Thomas Dalton (d.1591). Dalton’s held this estate until 1700 when Thomas Dalton bequeathed one farm to his servant John Champney and the rest passed via his widow [Elizabeth] to the Witham family.

In 1668 and 1675 the corporation of Hull sold land in Sutton to John Dalton.

1574-
Thomas Dalton acquired property in Sutton, Holderness from Henry Curdeux.

1606 -
William Dalton acquired some more property there from John Rand and Frances Smith. The Dalton’s retained these interests until the 18th century.

1701 -
Elizabeth Dalton gave most of this property to Benjamin Dalton of Beverley. The fraction she kept probably became part of the Witham estates in Sutton. [Elizabeth’s maiden name was Witham; after her husband Thomas Dalton’s death she married Robert Dolman.]

1734 -
Samuel Dalton sold the property given to Benjamin.

Vol. 1 page 473 – 1565-
The Hastings family interest in property at Sutton was sold to Thomas Dalton (d.1591). In 1594 Robert Dalton (d.1626) sold some of this to John Milner.

Vol. 2 page 252 – 1568-
Sir John Constable sold property in Kilham to Thomas Dalton.

Vol. 4 page 34 – 1772-
George Dalton of York made 5 bells for North Cave church.

Vol. 4 page 69 – 1793-
The manor of Heslington was reunited when Thomas Norcliffe Dalton, great grandson of Mary and Fairfax Norcliffe, sold his share to Henry Yarburgh.

Vol. 4 page 80 - 1418-1423-
John of Dalton was rector of Cottingham.

Vol. 4 page 81 – 1753-
George Dalton of York made a bell for Cottingham church.

Vol. 4 page 91 -
William Dalton held the living of South Dalton in 1339 - he was a royal clerk later captured in France and was probably not ordained a priest.

Vol. 4 page 193 – 1857-
John Dalton and others bought Hall Farm at Wilberfoss.

Vol. 5 page 11 – 1653-
Joseph Micklethwaite and his son John sold the manor of Great Nuthill or Nuttles to John Dalton. Thomas Daltons Widow Elizabeth married Robert Dolman after Thomas’ death and she and Robert had the manor by 1704. By 1731 it had passed to Elizabeth’s nephew John Witham.

Vol. 5 page 20 -
Nuthill was a Roman Catholic stronghold. In 1623 James Dalton of Nuthill was a missioner.

Vol. 5 page 143 -
Sir Robert Tyrwhit (d.1581) inherited the manor of Welwick or Welwick Kelk. His daughter Anne succeeded; she married Thomas Dalton (d.1591). In 1607/8 the Dalton’s sold the manor to Nicholas Waller.

Vol. 6 page 198 -
William Dalton was one of the keepers of Beverley in 1406/7

Another William Dalton was a keeper in 1345.

Vol. 6 page 264 -
Benjamin Dalton (in a will proved in 1713) left 10 acres at Beverley for a charity for the poor. In 1713 the income was £10 a year - in 1823 it was £48. The trustees always belonged to the Independent Chapel in Lairgate.

Vol. 6 page 267 -
Benjamin Dalton left money to the Independent Chapel in Lairgate, Beverley.

Yorkshire, North Riding:
Vol. 1 page 75 -
In 1642 and 1644 Conyers d’Arcy and his wife Grace sold the manor of Yafforth to Sir William Dalton of Hauxwell and his son John. John’s great granddaughter Mary married Edward Graham Viscount Preston in 1703. Mary and her sister Elizabeth and her Uncle Charles Dalton sold the manor to John Brockhurst and Thomas Newsom in 1716.

Vol. 1 page 91 - 1266 -
Isabel (widow of Thomas son of Michael de Dalton in Yorkshire) sued for her dower rights the overlord and others in Dalton Michael.

Vol. 1 page 93 – 1174-
Benedict de Dalton, who had some territorial link with Dalton Travers and the surrounding area, paid 10 marks to the king for permission to withdraw from a lawsuit against his nephews.

Vol. 1 page 183 – 1784-
Dalton of York cast a bell, inscribed “Glory be to God in the highest, Hallelujah”, for Kirkby Wiske church.

Vol. 1 page 247 – 1747-
Francis Topham and his wife sold their interests in East Manors, Hauxwell to Sir Charles Dalton, from whom the property descended to Colonel Wade-Dalton.

Vol. 1 page 248 – 1631-
Thomas Jopson and his wife Rose sold their manors at Hauxwell to Sir William Dalton Kt, third son of Thomas Dalton (mayor of Hull 1569). Sir William was a member of the Council of the North, and died in 1649. His son John, Lt.-Colonel in the king’s army was mortally wounded while escorting the Queen from Bridlington to Oxford in 1646. John’s son William II was knighted at the Restoration and buried at Hauxwell in 1675. Marmaduke, knighted in 1676 succeeded William II, who was drowned in 1680.
Marmaduke’s three daughters were Grace (died in childhood, Elizabeth who inherited Hauxwell, and Mary who married Edward Graham Viscount Preston. Elizabeth bequeathed her interest in Hauxwell to her uncle Sir Charles Dalton, who died unmarried before 1747 and was succeeded first by his nephew Charles Dalton (son of his brother Darcy Dalton) and then by Charles’ younger brother Francis Dalton. Francis died in 1792 leaving a daughter Mary, married to Henry Gale of Scruton. Mary died in 1845 and had four daughters - Harriet, Mary II, Katharine and Anne. Mary II died childless in 1794. Katharine and Anne inherited Hauxwell. Anne, the last survivor of the daughters, died unmarried in 1877 and Hauxwell passed to Harriet’s daughter Mary and her husband Colonel Hamlet Coote Wade with the request that they change their surname to Wade-Dalton. In 1914 their descendant Lt.-Colonel Hamlet Wade-Dalton owned Hauxwell.

Vol. 1 page 250 -
There are monuments in Hauxwell church to William Dalton (1671), Marmaduke Dalton (1680) and his wife Barbara (1708). The church plate includes a cup of 1704 inscribed “the gift of Mrs Dalton 1714”

Vol. 1 page 311 -
In the chancel floor of Catterick church is a memorial slab to Isabella (d.1684) daughter of Roger Croft of East Appleton and wife of William Dalton of Hauxwell.

Vol. 1 page 312 -1805
The Rev J Dalton gave a paten to Catterick church.

Vol. 1 page 346 - 1677
Sir Marmaduke Dalton Kt (whose mother was Elizabeth Wyvill) held the manor of Clifton-upon-Ure. His daighter and sole heiress Mary married Edward Graham Viscount Preston and sold the manor after her husband’s death to John Hutton in 1735.

Vol. 1 page 400 -
Marmaduke Grimston (d.1623) made a settlement in 1618 on his wife Anne Dalton. They had a son, William (d.1664) who was age 3 in 1623.

Vol. 1 page 474 -
By 1676 the manor of Butterwick had passed to Sir Marmaduke Dalton Kt. His daiughter Mary (married Viscount Preston) inherited. By 1747 it belonged to Charles Allanson.

Vol. 2 page 36 -
On the South wall of Hawnby church is a monument to Charles Tancred and his wife Barbara, daughter of John Dalton of Hauxwell.

Vol. 2 page 77 -
In the 13th century Stephen de Dalton was one of the tenants of the manor of Rainton at Topcliffe.

Vol. 2 page 444 – 1324-
Richard Kirkby of Kirkby Misperton granted the mill at Kirkby Misperton to John de Dalton of Pickering [the bailiff of Pickering]

Vol. 2 page 463 – 1312-
John de Dalton, a bailiff of Pickering Castle, led 300 tenants clad in forest green against Scarborough and then on to Lancashire and on to attack Sir Adam Banaster and the royal forces in the North in support of Thomas Earl of Lancaster their overlord.

Vol. 3 page 180 -
Elizabeth Silton, daughter of John and Cristina Silton, inherited land in Sheriff Hutton. She married Robert Dalton and they sold the land in 1560/1 to John Witham.

Vol. 3 page 445 – 1324-
Richard de Kirkby sold the manor of Kirkby Misperton to John de Dalton of Pickering {presumably the warden of the forest of Pickering]. John had three sons, John II, Thomas and Nicholas, and was succeeded by John II who was apparently the father of the Sir John de Dalton, lord of the manor in 1371. Thomas Dalton was involved in an attack on Ralph Eure before 1467. The manor was held by Edmund Dalton at his death in 1529, when it passed to his son Roger, a minor. In 1562 Roger made a settlement of the manor; he died in 1586 leaving a son Roger Dalton of Lincoln’s Inn who with his wife Alison sold the manor in 1594 to Thomas Phelippes.

Descendants of John Dalton

Of Yorkshire

The following is a document stored in the Public Records Office, Kev, England.

Under the title: Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office. Early proceedings, Richard II to Phillip and Mary.

"John Dalton, of Kingston upon Hull, son of Robert Dalton. v. Thomas Cooke and William Morcell, executors of the said Robert. Detention of deeds relating to messuages and gardens in Beverley, York".

Notice that it says, of Kingston upon Hull. He was probably living at Hull when this document was written. This means that there is probably in fact a link from the Lancashire Dalton's to the Yorkshire Dalton's.

The Yorkshire Dalton family was well established in Kingston-upon-Hull by the middle of the fifteenth century.

All through the sixteenth century the family kept on producing the Chief Citizen; several of them serving twice or thrice over a period of years, often holding the office of Sheriff before being elected Mayor. One of them, Thomas, an Alderman and Merchant, was also very holy. By his will dated 1497 (the year Cabot sailed to Newfoundland and Labrador) Mae founded a Chantry in Holy Trinity Church. He also left his house near the Church to the table-priests and their successors, and gave them his "great picture of beyond sea work which cost him 8 pounds sterling to set up over the Altar of St. Corpus Christi in the Church." And he asked to be buried on the north side of the aisle.

The family's activities as Mayor, however, were not always plain sailing. In 1540, King Henry VIII visited Hull on his way to meet his nephew, James V of Scotland, at York, and, after being suitably entertained, he left for that city. Meanwhile, the election for Mayor was due, and the candidates were Mr. Dalton and Mr. Johnson. Alas! before the votes were cast, the King unexpectedly returned; the election was postponed and the candidates went to meet him. When he heard about the election, Henry ordered the Corporation to meet again and mentioned that Sir John Eland should be nominated along with the other two. At the election, the King voted for Sir John, and of course the latter was elected. I suspect that democracy was but skin-deep in those days, and in any case it was discreet not to thwart a Tudor monarch.

Another Dalton, Thomas, during the first of his three mayoralties, was in office in 1554 when a rich citizen called Sir William Knowles presented the Corporation with a gold chain weighing 41/2 ounces upon condition that the Mayor should wear it every Sunday, holiday, and on particular occasions or else forfeit 40 pence for every omission. This story has a sequel. The chain, presumably first worn by Thomas Dalton in 1554, is still the basis of the chain worn by contemporary Lord Mayors of Hull, and was worn when the writer, l0th in descent from Thomas, during his year as High Sheriff of Yorkshire, entertained the Lord Mayor of Hull to luncheon at the Assizes.

The last Dalton to be Mayor, in 1588, was Robert, and I am sorry to say he brought discredit on this family. He was accused later of having "engrossed most of the mills in his hands, taking (instead of money) moulter corn, and more of it than he should, and aggravated his offence by mixing plaster with it to increase the weight." For this grave offence he was severely repremended" and might well have been fined too had he not apologized and promised never to repeat the crime. Honesty compels me to record this blot; family pride makes me add that the culprit was not a direct ancestor of the present Dalton line.

By the end of the sixteenth century, the family was ready to expand its life away from the channels of commerce. For some time they had married into the families of the landed gentry, and had been well educated. In particular, William Dalton, second son of that Thomas who had three times been Mayor, became a lawyer and was Recorder of Hull. He then moved and settled at or near Otley in the 'West Riding of Yorkshire. He was made a member of the Council of the North at York, was subsequently (in the language of the period) Attorney-General of the Northern Court- which probably meant secretary to the Council in modern terms - and became also Recorder of York. His office was at The King's Manor in York, which is still in existence and is now part of York University. King Charles I knighted him at Whitehall Palace in 1629. A few years later we find his signature on a letter from the Council to the Mayor and Aldermen of Hull about the fortifications of the town and the payment for them: I hope it gave him satisfaction to take some part in the affairs of his native place. It is not known when he was born, but he died in 1649, a staunch but doubtless saddened Royalist, and was buried in York Minster. There is a portrait of him, as an old man, at Hauxwell Hall. It was in 1631 that he had bought Hauxwell for his son John, of whom more in a moment.

Before finally leaving Hull, it may be of interest to quote from an eighteenth century History of the town concerning the duties of Mayor in the earliest days, to show that the holders of that office were persons of consequence and had heavy responsibilities.

"During his year of office he is to see the laws executed, and the King within his district exercises his authority by the Mayor's administration, so that he is the King's Lieutenant in his absence. The Mayor of Hull gives place and drops the insignia of authority only to the Sovereign himself or the presumptive Heir to the Crown, in the presence of whom only he is dispossessed and on such occasions carries himself the mace before the King."

Hauxwell or Hawkswell:
The manors of East and West Hauxwell and of Barden in Yorkshire belonged after the Conquest to Earl Alan of Richmond and his brother. They descended through various families over the years and early in the seventeenth century were possessed by the Jopsons. From this family they were acquired in 1631 by Sir William Dalton for his son John, who thus became "First of Hauxwell" for our family. John had married Dorothy D'Arcy of Hornby Castle near Bedale and only three miles from Hauxwell. The house at this date was small and simple and John was perhaps some sort of agent for the D'Arcys. He was certainly "of their party" politically and shortly became second-in- command of his brother-in-law's troop of Royalist horse. (Several pieces of armor of the period are still to be seen in the museum at Hauxwell). The family's Hull origins were kept in mind by the inclusion in a window of Hauxwell Church of a heraldic shield of sixteenth century painted glass-depicting Dalton impaling Tyrwhitt. Ann Tyrwhitt had been the second wife of Thomas Dalton of Hull and was John Dalton's grandmother.

Whatever plans John, with his wife Dorothy, may have had as squire of Hauxwell, were shattered by the Civil War. John took service with his brother-in-law D'Arcy, and in 1643 they were assigned the duty of escorting the Queen, Henrietta Maria, on her journey across England. The Queen had landed at Bridlington on the Yorkshire coast in February, and after a delay in York began the hazardous cross-country journey to join the King at Oxford. She arrived there in July, but regrettably John Dalton was no longer with her. At the crossing of the River Trent at Burton, there was a skirmish with the Parliamentary troops; John was badly wounded. He was taken back to Yorkshire where he died a year later and was buried in York Minster. His father, Sir William, recorded this melancholy event, in his own handwriting on one of the flyleaves of his law manual (still at Hauxwell.)

"My only sonne John Dalton was wounded at Burton upon Trent the fifth of July 1643 and thereof dyed 1644 the 24 of July who was a valiant man and a dutiful and loving sonne." Would not any of us be satisfied with such a simple and moving epitaph?

One can imagine the disruption and distress caused by the Civil War, with allegiance divided even within families. Yet things soon returned to normal, and after his restoration, Charles II, now King, remembered those whose families had loyally supported his parents. John's son William was one of those knighted by Charles II. This second Sir William lived at Hauxwell and before he died had begun to enlarge the house. So far as is known, no celebrated architect was employed, but the work attributed to this period is typically restrained and eminently suitable for a squire's house.

The Dalton’s continued in the male line all through the l8th century when their most important member was Sir Charles, younger son of the second Sir William. He had been born in 1660 and in middle life obtained some minor appointment as an Usher at the Court in London. Here he mixed with fashionable and cosmopolitan people and acquired knowledge (and possessions) which were to influence Hauxwell permanently. It was in 1717 that he became the owner of the property, succeeding a niece whom was unmarried and who had got into financial difficulties. Having "bailed her out", he took over the property and commemorated the event by erecting a stone obelisk in front of his house. This monument stood sturdily for nearly 250 years before being severely damaged in the great gale, which ravaged this part of Yorkshire in 1962. It has since been repaired.

Sir Charles never married. In 1727 he became Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a position of some consequence in those days, which he held till his death twenty years later. During this time he built a wing to the house, the ground floor being a beautifully proportioned room decorated with carved wood panels and plaster work, and imported some notable pieces of Flemish tapestry which family tradition believes he "acquired" from the palace of Westminster: He also collected books, many of which have survived, as has also his court dress sword and a part of his black rod.

After Sir Charles's death in 1747 the property passed through a somewhat twilight period. For more than forty years his parson nephew, another Charles, was in possession and must have planted trees near the house where some very fine hard-wood specimens still stand. His brother Francis succeeded him in his turn for a short time. This brother had married a lady who was related to the Bathurst family and who inherited some family portraits as well as a house in Kent. This house was sold and the proceeds used to enlarge the Hauxwell estate. Francis and his wife had an only daughter who married into a distinguished local family called Gale and lived to be 55 years old. Her grand-daughter, who inherited Hauxwell, took the additional name of Dalton to her married name of Wade. After three generations of Wade-Daltons, the last of that line, being childless, gave the estate to his distant kinsman, Richard Dalton, born 1948, whose direct ancestor had bought it over 300 years previously.

Dugdale's Visition of Yorkshire:
Copied from Vol. 2 at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

l. _____ DALTON, had issue-

John Dalton (II)

William Dalton.

Of note: This blank name is probably that of John Dalton, son of Robert Dalton because of the following item.

"The following is a document stored in the Public Records Office, Kew England.

Under the title: Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office. Early proceedings, Richard ll to Phillip and Mary.

"John Dalton, of Kingston upon Hull, son of Robert Dalton. v. Thomas Cooke and William Morcell, executors of the said Robert.

Detention of deeds relating to messuages and gardens in Beverley, York".

This must prove that there is in fact a link from the Lancashire Dalton's to the Yorkshire Dalton's.

II. JOHN DALTON, of Hull, buried at Trinity Church there, died 11 Sept. 1458. Will 9 Sept., proved, 20 Oct. 1458. Married Joan ______ (remarried first John Whitfield, Mayor of Hull; secondly, Sir Richard York, M.P. Took the vow of celibacy. Will 20 Aug. 1506. They had issue;
1. Thomas, of Hull, merchant, Sheriff 1484, Mayor 1489 and 1499. Will 15 June 1497, proved at York 4 Jan. 1502-3, to be buried at Trinity Church ; married Elizabeth who administered her husband's estate.

2. John (III).

3. Robert, buried with their father at Trinity Church.

4. William,

5. Elizabeth, named in her brother John's will.

III. JOHN DALTON, of Hull, merchant, Sheriff 1482, Mayor 1487 and 1495, died 10 Aug. 1494 and buried at Trinity Church, Hull. Will 12 Oct. 1487, proved at York 7 Sept. 1496. Married Catherine, daughter of Robert Alcock, merchant, Hull, niece of John Alcock, Bishop of Ely (remarried Robert Herrison, merchant, Hull), to be buried at Trinity Church. Will 13 May 1541, proved at York 13 July 1545. They had issue nine sons and four daughters.
1. William, named in his father's fill.

2. Robert, named in his father's and mother's wills, of Hull, Alderman and Merchant, buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 10 Apr. 1578. Will 7 Apr., pr. 7 July 1578 at York; married, Elizabeth, daughter and heir of _____Silleston, buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 1 Feb. 1587-8. They had issue;
1. Robert, named in his father's and grand- father's will.

2. Thomas, named in his grandfather's will.

3. Edward, named in his father's and grandfather's wills.

4. William, named in their father's will.

5. Barbara.

6. Emma.

7. Marie, named in her grandfather's will.

3. Thomas (IV).

4. Edward, named in his mother's will. Had issue;

1. Katherine.

5. John.

6. Anthony.

7. Elizabeth, named in her father's will.

8. Agnes, named in her mother's will.

9. Jennet, named in her mother's will.

IV. THOMAS DALTON, of Hull, merchant, Mayor 1547. Will 18 Aug., pr. at York 1 Oct. 1556, to be buried in Trinity Church, Hull; Married ______ daughter of ___________Wilkinson. They had issue;
1. John, of Hull, eldest son, named in his father's will, had issue;

1. William.

2. John, named in their grandfather's will.

3. Thomas, named in their grandfather's will.

2. Thomas (V).
3. Edward, named in his father's will. Will 8 June 1567, proved 6 Oct. 1575 married, Mary ____They had issue;

1. Edward.

2. Thomas.

3. William.

4. Joan, named in their father's will.

5. Katherine.

6. Maude.

7. Elizabeth.

All named in their father's will.

V. THOMAS DALTON, of Sutton in Holderness. Merchant of the Staple and Adventurer, Mayor 1554, 1560 and 1569. Buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 6 Jan. 1590. Will 30 Dec. 1590, proved at York 10 Dec. 1591. Married, first, Ann Walker. Married, secondly, Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Tirwhit, of Kettleby, in Co. Lincohnshire, Kt. They had issue;
I. Robert of Swyne in Holderness.

2. Sir William (VI).

3. Philip, had lands in his father's will.

4. Edward, of Sutton, gent. Will 6 Jan, 1617-8, proved at York 17 July 1618, to be buried at Sutton Church; married ____ They had issue;

1. William.

2. Elizabeth.

3. Anne, named in their father's will.

3. Luce.

4. Frances, named in their father's will.

5. Thomas, had lands in his father's will.

Anne, married Sir Ralph Ellerke, son and heir of Edward Ellerk,r, of Risby.

Elizabeth, married. Walter Cave.

Susannah, executrix of her father's Will, under which she had lands.

VI. SIR WILLIAM DALTON, of the city of Yorke, and one of King's Concell in his court there for the Northern parts, died in 1649, knighted at Whitehall 28 Apr. 1629, buried 25 Jan. 1649-50 at York Minster. Married Theophania, daughter of John Boothe, of Killingholme, in Co. Lincohnshire, widow of Thomas Agard (Agar), marriage license 1598, buried at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, 18 Feb. 1601. Will 17 Oct. 1605, proved at York 28 Apr. 1606. They had issue;
1. John (VII).

2. Anne, wife of Marmaduke grimrton, of Grimston- Garth, in Holdernes.

3. Mary, died unmarried, buried at Belfreys, 10 Apr. 1624.

VII. JOHN DALTON of Hawkswell, died in 1646, at Newark Castle, of wounds received at Burton- on-Trent while conducting the Queen from York towards London. Baptised at Belfreys 17 Sept. 1603, buried 26 July 1644 at York Minster. Will 9 Aug. 1643, proved at York 15 Jan. 1645-6; married Dorothy, daughter of Conyers, Lord Darcy and Conyers, of Hornby Castle. They had issue;
1. Sir William Dalton, (VIII).

2. Thomas Dalton, of Yorke and Bedale, named in his father's will. Will 19 July 1710; married Ann Wyvill, daughter of Sir Marmaduke Wywill, of Constable Burton, Kt, and Bart., buried 28 Nov.1675 at Bedale (a quo Dalton of Slenningford; see Charles Dalton’s, “Wrays of Glentworth," and Burke's Commoners,"

3. Marmaduke, named in his father's will.

4. Mary, wife of John Beverley, of Smeton.

5. Barbara, wife of Charles Tanleard, of Arden.

5. Ursula, named in her father's will.

VIII. SIR WILLIAM DALTON of Hawkeswell, Kt. 19 Aug. 1665. Died 23 Mar. 1675, buried at Hawkswell, Married Elizabeth, daughter of Marmaduke Wyvill, of Constable Burton. They had issue;
1. Sir Marmaduke (IX).

2. Christopher, died unmarried.

3. Sir Charles, of Hawkswell, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, died unmarried 16 Aug. 1747, at Hawkswell.

4. Darey (X).

5. Thomas, buried at York Minster 9 Jan. 1692 (Skaife). Michaell, buried at York Minster, 7 Nov. 1682.

6. Isabell, married Roger Crofte, of East Appleton, d. 25 Feb. 1684, buried at Catterick.

7. Dorothy, married at York Minster 1 March 1689-90, Dr. William Stainforth, Canon Residentiary of York, buried in York Minster 17 Apr. 1707.

8. Elizabeth.

9. Ursula, married Sir Barrington Bourchier, of Beningborough, Knt.

IX. SIR MARMADUKE DALTON, of Hawkswell, Kt., 19 Aug. 1665. Drowned at Dalton Bridge 19 Feb. 1680, buried at Hawkswell. Married Barbara, daughter of Henry Belasyse, son and heir of Lord Fauconberg. Died 12 Sept. 1708, age sixty-three, buried at Hawkswell. They had issue;
1. Grace, died Yorke, age twelve.

2. Mary, married in York Minster 5 Jan. 1703-4 ,to Edward Graham, Viscount, Preston.

3. Elizabeth, died unmarried. Left half the estate, including Hawkswell, to Sir Charles Dalton.

X. DARCY DALTON, M.A., Rector of Aston, matric. 25 Oct. 1712, Prebendary of York, died 27 March 1734, age sixty-four, buried at Aston. Married first, Mary Harrison, of Skellow, at York Minster, 25 Sept. 1701, buried at Owston 6 Feb. 1703-4. They had issue;
1. Darcy Dalton, living 1739, died unmarried.

Married secondly, Jane _____ died 5 March 1719, age thirty-six, buried at Aston. They had issue;
1. Charles Dalton, Rector of Hawkswell, succeeded his Uncle Sir Charles, died unmarried intestate 22 Dec. 1788, age seventy-five, buried at Hawkswell.

2. William, died unmarried.

3. Francis (XI).

4. Barbara, married Charles Tancred, of Arden. Married Gilbert Knowler, D.D.

5. Elizabeth, married Samuel Drake, Rector of Treeton and Holme on Spaldingmore, died 3 Nov. 1792 at Hawkswell.

6. Jane, died 5 Feb. 1729, age fifteen, buried at Aston.

XI. FRANCIS DALTON, of Hawkswell, sometime in the Six, Clerks' Office, died 21 Nov. 1792, age seventy-four, buried at Hawkswell. Married. Mary, daughter of John Tasker, of Wimbleton. They had issue;
1. Mary Dalton, only child and heiress; married Henry Gale, Esq., of Scruton, at St. Andrew's, Holborn, 3 Apr. 1779.

Children of JOHN DALTON and JOAN are:

i. THOMAS DALTON, died 1503; m. ELIZABETH.

Notes for THOMAS DALTON:

Vol. 1 page 81 - (Victoria County History)
Thomas Dalton died 1503) asked for services to be sung for his soul by all the priests of the table at Holy Trinity, Hull, accompanied by the ringing of the great bell, and in addition after his wife's death "the bellman to go about the town after the custom".

Vol. 1 page 141 - (Victoria County History)
Thomas Dalton of Hull (died 1503) was also a Calais Stapler, trading in wool, cloth and lead.

ii. JOHN DALTON, died August 10, 1494.

iii. ROBERT DALTON.

iv. WILLIAM DALTON.

v. ELIZABETH DALTON.

Next is a pedigree of John Dalton of Yorkshire and is from my Dalton FTM genealocial database. I copied it from a few sources and please be aware that it must be proven with documentation.

Descendants of John Dalton of Yorkshire

Copied from Rodney Dalton’s Family Tree Maker genealogy database.

(Please note that there my be some mistakes here and if so please advise)

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN DALTON (ROBERT DALTON, SIR JOHN DALTON 2ND., SIR JOHN DALTON 1ST, SIR ROBERT DALTON, SIR RICHARD DALTON 2ND, SIR RICHARD DALTON 1ST., JOHN DALTON 2ND., JOHN DE DALTON 1ST., LE SIEUR DE DALTON ( SIR WALTER DE ALITON) died September 10, 1458 in Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England. He married JOAN.

Generation No. 2

2. JOHN DALTON died August 10, 1496. He married CATHERINE ALCOCK. She died 1484.

Notes for JOHN DALTON:

JOHN DALTON, of Hull, merchant, Sheriff 1482, Mayor 1487 and 1495, died 10 Aug. 1494 and buried at Trinity Church, Hull. Will 12 Oct. 1487, proved at York 7 Sept. 1496. Married Catherine, daughter of Robert Alcock, merchant, Hull, niece of John Alcock, Bishop of Ely (remarried Robert Herrison, merchant, Hull), to be buried at Trinity Church. Will 13 May 1541, proved at York 13 July 1545. They had issue nine sons and four daughters.

1. William, named in his father's fill.

2. Robert, named in his father's and mother's wills, of Hull, Alderman and Merchant, buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 10 Apr. 1578. Will 7 Apr., pr. 7 July 1578 at York; Married Elizabeth Silleston. Buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 1 Feb. 1587-8.

They had issue;
1. Robert, named in his father's and grand- father's will.

2. Thomas, named in his grandfather's will.

3. Edward, named in his father's and grandfather's wills.

4. William, named in their father's will.

5. Barbara.

6. Emma.

7. Marie, named in her grandfather's will.

3. Thomas.

4. Edward, named in his mother's will. Had issue;

1. Katherine.

5. John.

6. Anthony.

7. Elizabeth, named in her father's will.

8. Agnes, named in her mother's will.

9. Jennet, named in her mother's will.

John Dalton was Sheriff in 1452 and Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull in 1487 and 1495.

Vol. 1 page 54 - 1488 (Victoria County History)
John Dalton (died 1496), mayor of Hull, was appointed commissioner of the Humber (acting as admiral)

Vol. 1 page 84 - (Victoria County History)
Agnes (died 1459) wife of John Bedford, merchant of Hull, had previously married 2 other merchants, Richard Dalton of Hull and John Strother (? of Newcastle). Catherine, the daughter of Robert Alcock (died 1484) merchant of Hull married first John Dalton merchant (died 1496) and then Robert Harrison merchant. The Dalton merchants of Hull were related to those of York.

Children of JOHN DALTON and CATHERINE ALCOCK are:

i. THOMAS DALTON, died 1556.

ii. WILLIAM DALTON.

iii. ROBERT DALTON, b. Hull, Yorkshire Co. England; d. April 10, 1578, Hull, Yorkshire Co. England.

iv. EDWARD DALTON.

v. JOHN DALTON.

vi. ANTHONY DALTON.

vii. ELIZABETH DALTON.

viii. AGNES DALTON.

ix. JENNET DALTON.

Generation No. 3
3. THOMASDALTON died 1556. He married ANN WILKINSON.

Notes for THOMAS DALTON:

Thomas Dalton was Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull in 1535 and 1547.

THOMAS DALTON, of Hull, merchant, Mayor 1547. Will 18 Aug., proved at York 1 Oct. 1556, to be buried in Trinity Church, Hull; Married Ann Wilkinson. They had issue;
1. John, of Hull, eldest son, named in his father's will, who had issue;

1. William.

2. John, named in their grandfather's will.

3. Thomas, named in their grandfather's will.

Children of THOMAS DALTON and ANN WILKINSON are:

i. THOMASDALTON, b. Abt. 1516, Of Sutton-in Holderness, Yorkshire, England; d. 1591, Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England.

ii. JOHN DALTON.

iii. ROBERT DALTON.

iv. EDWARD DALTON.

Generation No. 4
4. THOMASDALTON was born Abt. 1516 in Of Sutton-in Holderness, Yorkshire, England, and died 1591 in Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England. He married (1) ANNE TRYWHITT, daughter of SIR ROBERT TYRWHITT. She was born in Kettilly, Lincolnshire, England. He married (2) ANN WALKER.

Notes for THOMAS DALTON:

THOMAS DALTON, of Sutton in Holderness. Merchant of the Staple and Adventurer, Mayor 1554, 1560 and 1569. Buried at Trinity Church, Hull, 6 Jan. 1590. Will 30 Dec. 1590, proved at York 10 Dec. 1591. Marr. first, Ann Walker. Marr. secondly, Anne,

Daughter of Sr Robert Tirwhit, of Kettleby, in co. Linc. Knt.

They had issue;
I. Robert of Swyne in Holderness.

2. Sir William,

3. Philip, had lands in his father's will.

4. Edward, of Sutton, gent. Will 6 Jan, 1617-8, proved at York 17 July 1618, to be buried at Sutton Church; married ____ They had issue;

1. William,

2. Elizabeth,

3. Anne, named in their father's will.

4. Luce,

5. Frances, named in their father's will.

6. Thomas, had lands in his father's will.

7. Anne, married Sir Ralph Ellerke, son and heir of Edward Ellerk,r, of Risby.

8. Elizabeth, married Walter Cave.

9. Susannah, executrix of her father's will, under which she had lands.

Thomas Dalton was three times the Mayor of Kingston-upon-Hull. He had a grant of Arms in the 5th year of Elizabeth, from William Flower, Norry King of Arms.

Vol. 1 page 333 - 1558 (Victoria County History)
The Carthusian Priory at Hull was acquired by Sir Henry Gate and Thomas Dalton (d.1591) Thomas Dalton (d.1591) and John Gregory left a house and garden in Hull for the benefit of the poor.

Vol 1 page 461-
Matthew St Quintin sold land in Southcoates to Thomas Dalton (d.1591) in 1569 and the Daltons held land there until the end of the 17th century.

1574
Henry Curdeux sold land in Southcoates to Thomas Dalton (d.1591).

Vol. 1 page 468 - 1558
Sir Henry Gate and Thomas Dalton (d.1591) acquired the manor of Sculcoates. In 1560 they are said to have divided it between them, with two-thirds going to Thomas Dalton.

1574
Thomas Dalton acquired property in Sutton, Holderness from Henry Curdeux. In 1606 William Dalton acquired some more property there from John Rand and Frances Smith. The Daltons retained these interests until the 18th century. In 1701 Elizabeth Dalton gave most of this property to Benjamin Dalton of Beverley. The fraction she kept probably became part of the Witham estates in Sutton. [Elizabeth's maiden name was Witham; after her husband Thomas Dalton's death she married Robert Dolman.] In 1734 Samuel Dalton sold the property given to Benjamin.

More About THOMAS DALTON:

Burial: 1591, Holy Trinity Church, Hull

Children of THOMAS DALTON and ANNE TRYWHITT are:

i. ROBERT DALTON, b. Abt. 1541, Of Myton, Yorkshire Co. England; d. June 23, 1626, Kingston-upon-Hull.

ii. SIR WILLIAM DALTON, b. Abt. 1542, Kingston - upon - Hull, Yorkshire, England; d. January 25, 1648/49, York Minster, Yorkshire Co. England.

iii. PHILIP DALTON, b. Abt. 1544.

iv. EDWARD DALTON, b. Abt. 1546.

v. THOMAS DALTON, b. Abt. 1548; m. ELIZABETH WITHAM.

vi. ANNE DALTON, b. Abt. 1550; m. SIR RALPH ELLAKER; b. Abt. 1555, Risby, Yorkshire, England.

vii. ELIZABETH DALTON, b. Abt. 1552; m. WALTER CAVE.

viii. SUSANNAH DALTON, b. Abt. 1554.

Generation No.5
5. ROBERT DALTON was born about 1541 in Of Myton, Yorkshire Co. England, and died June 23, 1626 in Kingston-upon-Hull. He married (1) ELIZABETH CONSTABLE. She was born about 1543. He married (2) DOROTHY HILTON.

Notes for ROBERT DALTON:

Vol. 1 page 122 - (Victoria County History)
The Dalton's abandoned municipal affairs at Hull after the resignation of Robert Dalton (d.1626) from the magistracy in 1602. They then featured as wealthy East Riding gentry, and one, Sir William, was King's Attorney in the North.

Children of ROBERT DALTON and ELIZABETH CONSTABLE are:

i. THOMAS DALTON, born about 1569, Of Myton, Yorkshire Co. England; d. 1639.

ii. ROBERT DALTON.

iii. HENRY DALTON.

iv. JOHN DALTON.

v. JAMES DALTON.

vi. AMBROSE DALTON.

vii. ANNE DALTON, m. ROBERT BACON, 1601, St. John's, Beverley, Yorkshire Co. England.

The following are some histories and notes of descendants of John Dalton of Yorkshire:

SIR WILLIAM DALTON was born about 1542 in Kingston - upon - Hull, Yorkshire, England, and died January 25, 1648/49 in York Minster, Yorkshire Co. England. He married THESPHANIA BOOTHE, daughter of JOHN BOOTH. She was born 1569, and died February 18, 1604/05.

Notes for SIR WILLIAM DALTON:

SIR WILLIAM DALTON, of the city of Yorke, and one of King's Councell in his court there for the Northern parts, died in 1649, knighted at Whitehall 28 Apr. 1629, buried 25 Jan. 1649-50 at York Minster. Married Theophania, daughter of John Boothe, of Killingholme, in Co. Lincohnshire, widow of Thomas Agard (Agar), marriage license 1598, buried at Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, 18 Feb. 1601. Will 17 Oct. 1605, proved at York 28 Apr. 1606. They had issue;

1. John

2. Anne, wife of Marmaduke Grimrton, of Grimston- Garth, in Holdernes.

3. Mary, died unmarried, buried at Belfreys, 10 Apr. 1624.

Sir William Dalton was recorder of Hull, was appointed Attorney General to the Court of York. He was knighted by King Charles I at Whitehall, April 28 1629. He purchased Hauxwell in 1631.

Vol. 1 page 113 and 125 - (Victoria County History)
Four members of the Dalton family served as aldermen of Hull, two of these also as MPs; another, Sir William, was recorder (and would have been consulted on the town's customs and privileges). The recorder received a fee and occasional presents of ale and wine from the corporation.

Vol. 1 page 75 - 1642 and 1644 (Victoria County History)
Conyers d'Arcy and his wife Grace sold the manor of Yafforth to Sir William Dalton of Hauxwell and his son John. John's great granddaughter Mary married Edward Graham Viscount Preston in 1703. Mary and her sister Elizabeth and her Uncle Charles Dalton sold the manor to John Brockhurst and Thomas Newsom in 1716.

From the Register of Burials in York Minster:
Sr. William Daulton, buried twenty fifth January, 1649.

"Sir William Dalton, of York, knt., one of the Council of the North, son of Tho. Dalton, gent, of Sutton in Holderness, by Anne, daughter of Sir Robert Tywhit, of Kettleby, Co. Lincohnshire, Knighted at Whitehall 28 April 1629; married Theophania, daughter of John Booth, esq., of Killingholme, Co. Lincohnshire and widow of -- Agard. She died 18 Feb. 1605, aged 34, and was buried in the church of Holy Trindty, Goodramgate."

SIR WILLIAM DALTON is buried at York Minster.

Source: The Yorkshire Archaological and Topographical Journal. Vol. 1.

Book 942.74 at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

Vol. 1 page 248 - 1631
Thomas Jopson and his wife Rose sold their manors at Hauxwell to Sir William Dalton Kt, third son of Thomas Dalton (mayor of Hull 1569). Sir William was a member of the Council of the North, and died in 1649. His son John, Lt. Colonel in the king's army was mortally wounded while escorting the Queen from Bridlington to Oxford in 1646. John's son William II was knighted at the Restoration and buried at Hauxwell in 1675. William II was succeeded by Marmaduke Dalton, knighted in 1676, who was drowned in 1680. Marmaduke's three daughters were; Grace (died in childhood) Elizabeth who inherited Hauxwell, and Mary who married Edward Graham Viscount Preston. Elizabeth bequeathed her interest in Hauxwell to her uncle Sir Charles Dalton, who died unmarried before 1747 and was succeeded first by his nephew Charles Dalton (son of his brother Darcy Dalton) and then by Charles' younger brother Francis Dalton. Francis died in 1792 leaving a daughter Mary, married to Henry Gale of Scruton. Mary died in 1845 and had four daughters - Harriet, Mary II, Katharine and Anne. Mary II died childless in 1794. Katharine and Anne inherited Hauxwell. Anne, the last survivor of the daughters, died unmarried in 1877 and Hauxwell passed to Harriet's daughter Mary and her husband Colonel Hamlet Coote Wade when he requested that they change their surname to Wade-Dalton. In 1914 Hauxwell was owned by their descendant Lt.-Colonel Hamlet Wade-Dalton.

Children of SIR DALTON and THESPHANIA BOOTHE are:

i. LT. COL. JOHN DALTON, b. 1599, Of Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England; died July 20, 1644, York Minster, Yorkshire, England.

ii. ANNE DALTON, married MARMADUKE GRIMSTON.

iii. MARY DALTON, died April 10, 1624.

EDWARD DALTON was born about 1546. He married UNKNOWN.

Children of EDWARD DALTON and UNKNOWN are:

i. WILLIAMDALTON.

ii. ELIZABETH DALTON.

iii. ANNE DALTON.

iv. LUCE DALTON.

v. FRANCES DALTON.

THOMAS DALTON was born about 1569 in Of Myton, Yorkshire Co. England, and died 1639. He married ANN INGLEBY.

Children of THOMAS DALTON and ANN INGLEBY are:

i. JOHN DALTON, born Of Swine, Nuttles, Sutton, Yorkshire Co. England; married MARY BRUDENALL.

ii. JAMES DALTON, married CATHERINE CLARKE.

iii. WILLIAM DALTON.

iv. THOMAS DALTON, born Of Nuttles, Yorkshire Co. England; married ELIZABETH.

v. ELIZABETH DALTON, married SAMUELL SNAWSDELL.

vi. CATHERINE DALTON, married ROBERT DICKENSEN.

LT. COL. JOHN DALTON was born 1599 in Of Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England, and died July 20, 1644 in York Minster, Yorkshire, England. He married DOROTHY CONYERS DARCY April 22, 1627 in Hornby, Yorkshire, England, daughter of LORD D'ARCY and DOROTHY BELASTHLY. She was born about 1597 in Hornby Castle, Yorkshire, England.

Notes for LT. COL. JOHN DALTON:
JOHN DALTON of Hawkswell, died in 1646, at Newark Castle, of wounds received at Burton- on-Trent while conducting the Queen from York towards London. Baptized at Belfreys 17 Sept. 1603. Buried 26 July 1644 at York Minster. Will 9 Aug. 1643, proved at York 15 Jan. 1645-6; married Dorothy, daughter of Conyers, Lord Darcy and Conyers, of Hornby Castle. They had issue;
1. Sir William Dalton.

2. Thomas Dalton.

3. Marmaduke, named in his father's will.

4. Mary, wife of John Beverley, of Smeton.

5. Barbara, wife of Charles Tanleard, of Arden.

6. Ursula, named in her father's will.

Notice of death of "Captaine Daulton" from the Register of Burials in York Minster, Yorkshire Co. England.

“John Dalton. Esq., West Hawkswell, co. York, eldest son of Sir William Dalton, of York. Kt. One of the Council of the North, by Theophania, daughter of John Booth, Esq., of Killingholme, Co. Lincohnshire. Baptized at St. Mickael's-le-Belfrey, 17 Sept., 1602. Married Dorothy, daughter of Conyers Lord Darcy of Hornby Castle. Captain Dalton died at Newark Castle, of wounds received at Burton-upon-Trent, while conducting the Queen from York towards London. In his will, dated 9 Aug., 1643, he bequeaths " to my eldest sonne, William Dalton, all my armes, armour and military furniture."

John Dalton served as a Lieut. Col. under his brother-in-law, the Lord Darcy and was mortally wounded when conducting Queen Henrietta Maria from Bridlington to Oxford at the bridge of Burton-upon-Trent, July 5 1643.

Source:
The Yorkshire Archaological and Topographical Journal. Vol. 1.

Book 942.74 at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

More about John Dalton:
John Dalton was commissioned in the army at the tender age of 15 into one of the new Marine regiments raised for the Spanish war. A year later his father was dead, and what odds would have been laid against the survival of the family, vested only in young John about to go to war? Not only did he survive, but also he became the head of a family that was to proliferate through several generations.

John's career was remarkable, and started with five years as a second lieutenant on board HMS Preston of 50 guns, cruising in the East Indies and off the coast of Southern India. He then left the sea for the land and transferred to the East India Company's service as a captain in command of the Grenadier Company. This was in 1749. He became "a very intimate and worthy friend" (his own words, in a letter home) of Robert Clive, a friendship which lasted for life.

From now onwards, John saw much active service in the Company's war against the French. From 1752 he became the commander of the fortress of Trichinopoly, a key post which carried much responsibility both military and civil and which was not without excitement. Beleaguered by the French and their native allies, the commander of the fortress was the obvious target for assassination, and this was duly attempted. The would- be assassin, however, was caught and summarily killed by the gruesome (but effective) method of being blown from the muzzle of a gun.

By 1754, after nearly eleven years continuous service in the East Indies, John resigned his commission and sailed for home, having amassed a fortune of 30,000p, and still being young and healthy. The journey home by sea took six months and covered 14,000 nautical miles. He lost no time in visiting his mother, to whom he had written many tender letters over the years and who had been living at Kendal in Westmorland since her husband's death. It was on his journey north to see his mother that a charming and romantic episode took place. Having arrived at the "Bay Horse" Inn at Green Hammorton, one stage out of York on the road to the north, he stopped for the night and occupied the only sitting room available. Later, a coach arrived, carrying Lady Wray and her two daughters. John very naturally gave up his room to them, whereupon Lady Wray equally naturally invited him to have supper with them. He fell in love with one of the daughters, Isabella, and married her in Ripon Minster the following year and lived happily ever after.

The Church register of marriages records "John Dalton, Esq. of the parish of Hauxwell and Isabella Wray of this parish." The Wrays had a property, Sleningford, near Ripon. Some years later, John bought this from his brother-in-law, Sir Cecil Wray, and it remained in the family of his descendants for more than 150 years. He was a notably handsome man, perhaps a vain one too. On his visits to his mother in Kendal, he had himself painted twice by the well-known artist, George Romney, at 2+ guineas a time. Both pictures are still in the family. Later, when Romney went to London, the price went up to 5 guineas.

John had several sons, the youngest, Thomas, went into the Church and became Rector of Croft, in Yorkshire, for over forty years.

One of James's brothers, and his son, grandson, and two great-grandsons all served in the army in the Royal Artillery, and all became generals. The grandson, James Cecil, retired from the army before World War I, and settled at The Hutts, a small property near Ripon, and not far from Sleningford. He had married Mary Caroline Barker, great granddaughter of John Barker of Clare Priory, Suffolk, who, as a young officer, fought in the English army in 1774-6 at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill. The Hutts was, and still is, a remote and lovely place high up on the edge of moorland country and with superb views for 30 miles over the Vale of York. There he raised his family, including the author of this article and his elder brother, Sir Charles, the latter going to live there in his turn on retirement from the army. Both brothers, incidentally, have served their year as High Sheriff of Yorkshire. Meanwhile, the younger brother lives at Hauxwell as caretaker for one, of his sons, Richard, who, as has been noted above, had received the estate in trust while still a child. In 1972, the wheel came full circle and Sir Charles's son, John, married Amelia Stanley-Price in Ripon Cathedral 216 years after his great-great-great-grandfather had wed Isabella Wray in the same place.

A description of Hawkswell:
Hauxwell or Hawkswell is a small parish lying between Finghall and Catterick, and is wholly of rural character. The soil is light and gravelly, and chiefly laid down for grazing. The parish includes the townships of East Hauxwell, West Hauxwell, Barden, and Garriston, covering a total area of 4,590 acres. The townships of East and West Hauxwell comprise respectively 1,249 and 892 acres, and are valued for rating purposes at £936 and £607. The population of the former in 1881 was 95, and of the latter 40. The estate, which comprises the two townships, with all manorial rights, formerly belonged to the Daltons, and a stone column in the grounds in front of the hall, thus records an act of generosity of a daughter and heiress of this family; "In memory of Mrs. Eliza Dalton, daughter and one of the co-heiresses of Fr. Marmaduke Dalton, who, in regard to her family, restored this estate to her uncle, Fr. Charles Marmaduke Dalton, Gentleman, Usher of the Black Rod, in the year 1717." It afterwards came into the possession of the Gales, and on the deaths of the Misses Gale, it was inherited by their niece, the wife of Col. Hamlet Coote Wade, who, thereupon, assumed the name of Dalton, in addition to his own.*
*Just as these sheets were going to press, the newspapers announce the death of the gallant Colonel on the 8th of December, 1889, at the age of 80. He was a magistrate for the North Riding, and succeeded the Duke of Leeds as commander of the North York Militia.

The Hall is a good stone mansion, erected about the time of James I and consists of a centre and two wings, surrounded by a well-wooded park. The north entrance gateway to the latter bears the arms of the Dalton family.

The village of East Hauxwell occupies a pleasant but secluded situation on the road leading from Constable Burton to Richmond.

West Hauxwell consists of Hauxwell Hall, above- mentioned, the rectory, two farmhouses, and two cottages.

Children of LT. DALTON and DOROTHY DARCY are:

i. SIR WILLIAM DALTON, born 1629, Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England; died March 23, 1674/75, Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England.

ii. THOMAS DALTON, born December 23, 1633, Of Bedale, Yorkshire, England; died July 10, 1710.

iii. MARY DALTON, born 1634; married JOHN BEVERLY.

iv. BARBARA DALTON, born 1636; married CHARLES TANLEARD.

v. MARMADUKE DALTON, born 1655.

vi. MARY DALTON.

vii. URSULA DALTON

SIR WILLIAM DALTON was born 1629 in Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England, and died March 23, 1674/75 in Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England. He married ELIZABETH WYVILL, daughter of SIR MARMADUKE WYVILL. She was born in Of Constable Burton.

Notes for SIR WILLIAM DALTON:
SIR WILLIAM DALTON of Hawkswell, Kt. 19 Aug. 1665. Died 23 Mar. 1675, buried at Hawkswell, Married Elizabeth, daughter of Marmaduke Wyvill, of Constable Burton. They had issue:
1. Sir Marmaduke

2. Christopher, died unmarried.

3. Sir Charles, of Hawkswell, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, died unmarried 16 Aug. 1747, at Hawkswell.

4. Darcy

5. Thomas, buried at York Minster 9 Jan. 1692. Buried at York Minster 7 Nov. 1682.

6. Isabell, married Roger Crofte, of East Appleton, died 25 Feb. 1684, buried at Catterick.

7. Dorothy, married at York Minster 1 March 1689-90, Dr. William Stainforth, Canon Residentiary of York, buried in York Minster 17 Apr. 1707.

8. Elizabeth.

9. Ursula, married Sir Barrington Bourchier, of Beningborough, Knt.

Children of SIR DALTON and ELIZABETH WYVILL are:

i. SIR CHARLES DALTON, born 1660, Of Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England; died August 16, 1747, Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England.

Notes for SIR CHARLES DALTON:
Sir Charles Dalton was lord of the manor of Hauxwell or Hawkswell. Hawkswell, being the Dalton families resident for many years.

Below is copied from the DGSJ, Vol. 5.
The Dalton’s continued in the male line all through the 18th century when their most important member was Sir Charles, younger son of the second Sir William. He had been born in 1660 and in middle life obtained some minor appointment as an Usher at the Court in London. Here he mixed with fashionable and cosmopolitan people and acquired knowledge (and possessions) which were to influence Hauxwell permanently. It was in 1717 that he became the owner of the property, succeeding a niece whom was unmarried and who had got into financial difficulties. Having 'bailed her out", he took over the property and commemorated the event by erecting a stone obelisk in front of his house. This monument stood sturdily for nearly 250 years before being severely damaged in the great gale, which ravaged this part of Yorkshire in 1962. It has since been repaired.

Sir Charles never married. In 1727 he became Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, a position of some consequence in those days, which he hold till his death twenty years later. During this time he built a wing to the house, the ground floor being a beautifully proportioned room decorated with carved wood panels and plaster work, and imported some notable pieces of Flemish tapestry which family tradition believes he "acquired" from the palace of Westminster! He also collected books, many of which have survived, as has also his court dress sword and a part of his black rod.

This house was sold and the proceeds used to enlarge the Hauxwell estate. Francis and his wife had an only daughter who married into a distinguished local family called Gale and lived to be 95 years old. Her grand- daughter, who inherited Hauxwell, took the additional name of Dalton to her married name of Wade. After three generations of Wade-Dalton’s, the last of that line, being childless, gave the estate to his distant kinsman, Richard Dalton, born 1948, whose direct ancestor purchased it over 300 years previously.

ii. SIR MARMADUKE DALTON, born August 19, 1655, Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England; died February 19, 1679/80, Dalton Bridge, Yorkshire Co. England.

iii. REV. DARCY DALTON, born Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England; died 1734.

iv. THOMAS DALTON, born Of Bedale; died November 07, 1682

Sir William the second, who lived at Hauxwell after the Restoration and who has already been mentioned, had a younger brother, Thomas. Nothing is known about him except that he lived at Bedale, a small country town a few miles east of Hauxwell. He had a son, John, equally obscure, and this John's only son was James, who grew up to obtain a commission in the army.

v. DORATHY DALTON, died April 17, 1707, York Minster, Yorkshire Co. England; married WILLIAM STAINFORTH, March 01, 1688/89.

vi. ISABELL DALTON, died February 25, 1683/84.

vii. ELIZABETH DALTON.

viii. URSULA DALTON, married SIR BARRINGTON BOURCHIER, April 19, 1692.

ix. CHRISTOPHER DALTON.

x. MICHAELL DALTON, died November 05, 1682.

“Michaell, son of the Lady Dalton, was bur. ye 7"' of November, 1682.

At the east end of the middle choir, 11 on S. side the N. great pillar, lyes a blne stone, about 2 kds long, wtil this Inscription engraven upon it:-' Michael) the youngest son of Sir William Dalton of Hawkswell, kt., lyeth here interred, who departed this life 5th day of Novbr 1682, in the 11th year of his age. To make room for this was a little white stone taken up (& now layd in the N. Quire, yet near the other), OXL Web, was this Inscription engraven: ' Here lyethe Elizabeth Wyvell, daughter of X'pofer Wyvell, Esqr. & Margarets his wyfe, whyche dyed the xiil of ApriU, in the yeare of our Lord God, 1565. "

Lady Dalton," mother of Michael, was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Marmadake Wyvell, bart., of Constable Burton, great-grandson of the above-mentioned Christopher and Margaret Wyvell. John Dalton, grandfather of the above Michael, was buried here in 1644.

Source: From the Register of Burials in York Minster.

THOMAS DALTON was born December 23, 1633 in Bedale, Yorkshire, England, and died July 10, 1710. He married ANN WYRILL, daughter of SIR MARMADUKE WYRILL. She was born Abt. 1636 in Of Constable Burton, England, and died November 28, 1675 in Bedale, Yorkshire, England.

Notes for THOMAS DALTON:

Thomas Dalton, of Yorke and Bedale, named in his father's will. Will 19 July 1710; married Ann Wyvill, daughter of Sir Marmaduke Wywill, of Constable Burton, Kt, and Bart., buried 28 Nov. 1675 at Bedale (a quo Dalton of Slenningford) see Dalton's Wrays of Glentworth," and "Burke's Commoners."

Child of THOMAS DALTON and ANN WYRILL is:

i. JOHN DALTON, b. 1675, of Bedale, Yorkshire, England; d. 1701.

SIR MARMADUKE DALTON was born August 19, 1655 in Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England, and died February 19, 1679/80 in Dalton Bridge, Yorkshire Co. England. He married BARBARA BELASYSE February 23, 1676/77 in Chiswick, London, Middlesex Co. England. She was born 1645 in Coxwold, Yorkshire Co. England, and died September 12, 1708.

Notes for SIR MARMADUKE DALTON:

Vol. 1 page 346 - 1677 (Victory County History)

Sir Marmaduke Dalton Knight, whose mother was Elizabeth Wyvill, held the manor of Clifton-upon-Ure. His daughter and sole heiress Mary married Edward Graham Viscount Preston and sold the manor after her husband's death to John Hutton in 1735.

SIR MARMADUKE DALTON, of Hawkswell, Knt., 19 Aug. 1665. Drowned at Dalton Bridge 19 Feb. 1680. Buried at Hawkswell. Married Barbara, daughter of Henry Belasyse, son and heir of Lord Fauconberg. Died 12 Sept. 1708, age sixty-three, buried at Hawkswell. They had issue:

1. Grace, died Yorke, age twelve.

2. Mary, married in York Minster 5 Jan. 1703-4 to Edward Graham, Viscount, Preston.

3. Elizabeth, died unmarried, left half the estate, including Hawkswell, to Sir Charles Dalton.

Children of SIR DALTON and BARBARA BELASYSE are:

i. GRACE DALTON.

ii. MARY DALTON, married EDWARD GRAHAM, January 05, 1702/03.

iii. ELIZABETH DALTON.

REV. DARCY DALTON was born in Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England, and died 1734. He married (1) JANE. He married (2) MARY HARRISON.

Notes for REV. DARCY DALTON:
DARCY DALTON, M.A., Rector of Aston, matric. 25 Oct. 1712, Prebendary of York, died 27 March 1734, age sixty-four, buried at Aston. Married first, Mary Harrison, of Skellow, at York Minster, 25 Sept. 1701, buried at Owston 6 Feb. 1703-4. They had issue;

1. Darcy Dalton, living 1739, died unmarried.

Married secondly, Jane _____ died 5 March 1719, age thirty-six, buried at Aston. They had issue:

1. Charles Dalton, Rector of Hawkswell, succeeded his Uncle Sir Charles, died unmarried intestate 22 Dec. 1788, age seventy-five, buried at Hawkswell.

2. William, died unmarried.

3. Francis.

4. Barbara, married (1) Charles Tancred, of Arden. (2) Married Gilbert Knowler, D.D.

5. Elizabeth, married Samuel Drake, Rector of Treeton and Holme on Spaldingmore, died 1792 at Hawkswell.

6. Jane, died 5 Feb. 1729, age fifteen, buried at Aston.

Children of REV. DALTON and JANE are:

i. REV. CHARLES DALTON.

ii. ELIZABETH DALTON, died November 03, 1792, Hawkswell, Yorkshire Co. England; married SAMUEL DRAKE.

iii. WILLIAM DALTON.

iv. JANE DALTON, died February 05, 1728/29.

v. BARBARA DALTON, married CHARLES TANCRED.

Child of REV. DALTON and MARY HARRISON is:

vi. DARCY DALTON.

ISABELLDALTON died February 25, 1683/84. She married ROGER CROFTS.

Child of ISABELL DALTON and ROGER CROFTS is:

i. MARYCROFTS.

JOHNDALTON was born 1675 in Of Bedale, Yorkshire, England, and died 1701. He married JANE THORNTON about 1693. She was born about 1667. Of Bedale, Yorkshire, England.

Child of JOHN DALTON and JANE THORNTON is:

i. CAPTAIN JAMESDALTON, born about 1699, Hawksworth, Yorkshire, England; died 1742, West Indies.

CAPTAIN JAMESDALTON was born about 1699 in Hawkswell, Yorkshire, England, and died 1742 in West Indies. He married ELIZABETH SMITH about 1725. She was born September 18, 1698, and died 1769.

Notes for CAPTAIN JAMES DALTON:
James Dalton was a Captain in the 6th, Regiment of Foot, who died while on active duty in the West Indies.

Child of CAPTAIN DALTON and ELIZABETH SMITH is:

i. CAPTAIN JOHNDALTON, born 1726, Hauxwell, Yorkshire, England; died July 1811, East Indies.

CAPTAIN JOHN DALTON was born 1726 in Hauxwell, Yorkshire, England, and died July 1811 in East Indies. He married ISABELLA WRAY March 11, 1756 in Slenningford, Yorkshire, England, daughter of SIR WRAY and FRANCES NORCLIFFE. She was born May 16, 1731 in Hauxwell, Yorkshire, England, and died May 29, 1780 in Tansfield, Yorkshire Co. England.

Notes for CAPTAIN JOHN DALTON:
John Dalton was a Captain in the H.E.I. Co.'s service (East India Company) in Southern India between 1743 and 1754, who acquired a very high reputation when acting as Commandant of Trichinopoly, 1752-4. He purchased Sleningford Park, Ripon, from his father-in-law, Sir John Wray.

Sources: Historical Manuscripts Commission.
UK National Register of Archives.

John Dalton

(1726-1811) Captain East India Co Army.

1746-54: journal of military transactions in the East Indies.

East Riding of Yorkshire Archives and Records Service.

British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections.

Children of CAPTAIN DALTON and ISABELLA WRAY are:

i. FRANCES ELIZABETHDALTON, born July 09, 1759, Sleningford, Yorkshire, England; died January 08, 1800; married WILLIAM GARFORTH, March 1778, Of Wigonthorpe.

ii. ISABELLA DALTON, born about 1763, Sleningford, Yorkshire, England; died June 18, 1833; married GEORGE BAKER, 1787, Of Elsmore, Durham Co. England.

iii. THOMAS NORCLIFFE DALTON, born December 31, 1756, St. Helen's, Yorkshire, England; died June 01, 1820.

iv. LT. COL. JOHN DALTON II, born July 24, 1758, Of Sleningford and Fillingham, Yorkshire, England; died September 29, 1841, Sleningford, Yorkshire, England.

v. REV. JAMES ROBERT DALTON, born November 14, 1761, Of Croft, Yorkshire, England; died January 01, 1843.

THOMAS NORCLIFFE DALTON was born December 31, 1756 in St. Helen's, Yorkshire, England, and died June 01, 1820. He married ANNE WILSON December 13, 1784.

Notes for THOMAS NORCLIFFE DALTON:
Thomas Norcliffe Dalton was Captain of the 11th, Dragoons, and was afterwards Lieutenant Colonel of the York Volunteers who inherited the Norcliff estates on the death of his aunt, Lady Norcliff in 1807. He assumed in 1807 the surname and arms of Norcliff.

Children of THOMAS DALTON and ANNE WILSON are:

i. MARYNORCLIFFE, died March 17, 1837.

ii. SIR NORCLIFFE (DALTON) NORCLIFFE, born September 24, 1791; died February 08, 1862; married DECIMA HESTER BEATRIX, June 24, 1824.

Notes for SIR NORCLIFFE (DALTON) NORCLIFFE:
Norcliffe who served in the 4th Dragoons during the Peninsular War and distinguished himself at Salamanca where he was severely wounded. This gallant officer who was a Knight of Hanover died a Major General in 1862 and leaving no surviving issue was succeeded by his niece Mrs. Robinson.

Norcliffe Norcliffe, Esq., the eldest son, was Major General in the army, and succeeded to the estate in 1820. He married Decima Hester Beatrix, daughter of John Robinson Foulis, Esq., and had by her an only son, who predeceased his father, unmarried. General Norcliffe died in 1862, and the estate passed to his niece Rosamond, elder daughter of his sister, Mary Norcliffe Best. This lady married Henry Robinson, Esq., of York, and died in 1881, when the Rev. C. Best Norcliffe, her eldest surviving son, succeeded to the estate.

LT. COL. JOHN DALTONII was born July 24, 1758 in Of Sleningford and Fillingham, Yorkshire, England, and died September 29, 1841 in Sleningford, Yorkshire, England. He married SUSANNA PRESCOTT March 01, 1783, daughter of ROBERT PRESCOTT. She was born about 1763 in Of Rose Green, Sussex Co. England, and died April 15, 1823.

Notes for LT. COL. JOHN DALTON II:
Inherited the Wray estates.

Lieut. Col. 4th, Light Dragoons.

Children of LT. COL. JOHN DALTON and SUSANNA PRESCOTT are:

i. JAMES ROBERT DALTON, born 1786; died 1860; m. ISABELLA DISS.

ii. MAJOR GEN. CHARLES DALTON, born 1789; died 1871.

iii. GEORGE DALTON, born 1794; died June 10, 1854, North End House, Uxbridge; married EUPHEMIA HANNINGTON, 1829.

iv. WILLIAM SERJEANTSON DALTON, born 1803; died December 17, 1853, Flesk Lodge, Killarney, Ireland. Married LAURA KING, March 08, 1830.

v. JOHN DALTON III, born 1784, Of Fillingham Castle, Yorkshire. Died July 01, 1864, Brighton.

vi. SUSANNA ISABELLA DALTON, b. 1785; m. SIR J C DALBIAC, 1805.

vii. MARIA CATHERINE DALTON, born 1805; died 1866; Married GEORGE CLEGHORN, 1830.

viii. ALBINIA DALTON, born 1808; died 1859; m. REV. GEORGE KELLY.

ix. MADELINE AGNES DALTON, born 1810; married REV. CECIL WRAY DALTON.

REV. JAMES ROBERT DALTON was born November 14, 1761 in Of Croft, Yorkshire, England, and died January 01, 1843. He married MARIA GIBSON 1794.

Notes for REV. JAMES ROBERT DALTON:
Rev. James Dalton, M.A., F.L.S., Rector of Croft, Yorkshire, Married Maria Gibson, daughter and co-heir of Rev. Edmund Gibson, Rector of Bishop Stortford, Herts.

Children of REV. DALTON and MARIA GIBSON are:

i. MARIE DALTON, born 1796.

ii. MARY ANN DALTON, born 1798.

iii. FRANCES ELIZABETH DALTON, born 1801.

iv. CECIL WRAY DALTON, born 1806, Copgrove; died June 14, 1888.

v. ESTHER JANE DALTON, born 1807.

vi. JOHN DALTON, born 1808; died 1854.

vii. ELIZABETH DALTON, born 1809.

viii. CHARLES JAMES DALTON, born May 13, 1812; died November 07, 1880.

MARY NORCLIFFE died March 17, 1837. She married DR. CHARLES BEST. He was born in York.

Child of MARY NORCLIFFE and DR. BEST is:

i. ROSEMONDBEST, born July 31, 1808; died August 19, 1881; married HENRY ROBINSON, May 12, 1830; born York.

MAJOR GEN. CHARLESDALTON was born 1789, and died 1871. He married MARY DUNCAN 1832.

Notes for MAJOR GEN. CHARLES DALTON:
Child of MAJOR DALTON and MARY DUNCAN is:

i. JAMES ROBERT DALTON, born 1831.

JOHN DALTONIII was born 1784 in Of Fillingham Castle, Yorkshire., and died July 01, 1864 in Brighton. He married (1) EIZABETH LODGE 1812, daughter of RICHARD LODGE, ESQ. She was born in Of Leeds, and died October 08, 1900. He married (2) CATHERINE DODSWORTH 1844.

Children of JOHN III and EIZABETH LODGE are:

i. RICHARD HENRY DALTON, died 1890; married CHRISTINA LEAH HATFIELD, 1857; born Of Thorparch Hall, Yorkshire, England.

ii. THOMAS N. DALTON, died November 04, 1854. m. FANNY GABBETT.

Notes for THOMAS N. DALTON:
The Following obituary notice appeared in the "Illustrated London News"

"Major Thomas Norcliffe Dalton, of the 49th Regiment, was killed at Inkermann whilst gallanty leading his men in action, age 35. His loss is deeply deplored. The gallant Officer was son of John Dalton, Esq. of Sleningford Park, Co. York, late a Captain in the Army; and grandson of Lieut. Colonel John Dalton, whose father, John Dalton, Esq., acquired a hugh reputation in the East India Company's service. The immediate ancestor of the family, John Dalton of Hawkenswell, who served as Lient.- Colonel to his brother-in-law, the Lord Darcy, in the great Civil War, was mortally wounded on passing the bridge of Burton-upon-Trent while conducting the Queen from Burlington to Oxford. Major Dalton served in the 61st Regiment in the Punjuab campaiges of 1848-9; and was present at the passage of the Chenab and in the battle of Sauloolspere, Chillianwallah and with the field force in pursuit of the enemy in the Kyber Pass, for which he received a medal and two clasps. From the 61st he exchanged into the 49th at the Depot in Cork, in 1853 and served with the gallant Regiment ever since its arrival in the East. At the conflict of the Adens, Major Dalton whilst leading his men up the hill, had his horse shot under him; and in the hard fought affair of Balaklivi. He also took a prominent part."

Source: The history of the Wrays of Glentworth, 1523-1852, by Charles Dalton. Book no. 929.242 W924d at the LDS FHL in SLC Utah.

49th Foot:
Lieutenant A. S. Armstrong - killed at Inkermann - 5th November 1854

Near French camp, 49th Regt. cemetery. 'Lieut & Adjt. A.S. Armstrong Fell at the battle of Inkerman 5th Nov. 1854.'

Major T. N. Dalton - killed at Inkermann - 5th November 1854

Near French camp, 49th Regt. cemetery.

'Major T.N. Dalton fell at the battle of Inkerman while in command of HM's 49^th.

iii. GERTRUDE DALTON, married FREDERICK THOMPSON.

iv. SUSAN DALTON, married GEORGE CLARK.

v. MARY SULLIVAN DALTON, m. (1) CHARLES PRESTON, 1847; m. (2) REV. CANON FISHER, November 18, 1862, St. George's, Hanover Square.

vi. ALBINIA DALTON, married WADHAM LOCKE, 1854.

vii. FRANCES ELIZABETH DALTON, died 1890; married WILLIAM HENRY CROMPTON-STANSFIELD, 1858; died 1888.

viii. ISABELLA DALTON, died 1890.

ix. JOHN DALTON LV, born 1813, Ripon, Yorkshire, England; died September 05, 1871.

Children of JOHN III and CATHERINE DODSWORTH are:

x. CATHERINE ELIZABETH DALTON, married WILLIAM DRIFFIELD, May 13, 1867, St. James, Piccadilly.

xi. CHARLES MONTAQUE CECIL DALTON.

CECIL WRAY DALTON was born 1806 in Copgrove, and died June 14, 1888. He married MADELINE AGNES DALTON October 1830.

Child of CECIL DALTON and MADELINE DALTON is:

i. JAMESDALTON, born 1831; died 1862, Bournemouth.

CHARLES JAMESDALTON was born May 13, 1812, and died November 07, 1880. He married MARY NORCLIFFE CLEGHORN 1847.

Notes for CHARLES JAMES DALTON:
Charles James Dalton was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and obtained a second lieutenant's commission in the Royal Artillery in 1829.

Children of CHARLES DALTON and MARY CLEGHORN are:

i. JAMES CECILDALTON, born 1848, Of the Hutts, Yorkshire, England; died May 12, 1931.

ii. CHARLES DALTON, born September 25, 1850; died 1932; Married ISABELLA DALTON ROBINSON, 1880; died 1926.

iii. MARIE DALTON, born 1852; died 1933.

iv. GEORGE DALTON, born February 16, 1854; died April 02, 1858.

JOHN DALTON IV was born 1813 in Ripon, Yorkshire, England, and died September 05, 1871. He married GEORGINA ISABELLA TOWER 1842.

Children of JOHN IV and GEORGINA TOWER are:

i. EMMA ELIZABETH DALTON, died August 1914; married MAJOR HORACE CRAVEN, August 11, 1875, North Standley, Yorkshire, England.

ii. ALICE NEVILLE DALTON, died 1918.

iii. GEORGINA ISABELLA DALTON, born September 02, 1845, Ripon, Yorkshire, England; died April 07, 1918, Fillingham Castle; married SEYMOUR BERKELEY PORTMAN, June 1880, St. Gabriel's, Warwick Square; born January 12, 1838; died October 19, 1912.

iv. JOHN DALTON V, born 1849; died April 05, 1887; married CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH ELLIOTT, April 18, 1871, St. George's, Hanover Square, London; died December 23, 1895.

JAMES CECIL DALTON was born 1848 in Of the Hutts, Yorkshire, England, and died May 12, 1931. He married MARY CAROLINE BARKER October 30, 1899.

Notes for JAMES CECIL DALTON:
King's College London.

Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.

Survey of the Papers of Senior UK Defense Personnel, 1900-1975:

DALTON, James Cecil (1848-1931), Major General

Service biography-
Commissioned Royal Artillery 1869; Afghanistan 1880; Staff College 1882; Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General, Gibraltar and Cork, Ireland 1883-1887; Staff Capt and Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Topographical Section, Intelligence Div, War Office 1887-1892; Special Service Officer, Army Headquarters 1894-1895; Assistant Military Secretary, Army Headquarters 1899-1901; Col. on Staff, Commander Royal Artillery, Western District 1901-1904; General Officer Commanding, Royal Artillery, Gibraltar 1905-1906; Inspector, Royal Garrison Artillery 1906-1910; retired 1910; Col Commandant, Royal Artillery 1920

Children of JAMES DALTON and MARY BARKER are:

i. SIR CHARLES JAMES GEORGE DALTON, born 1906.

ii. JOHN CECIL D'ARCY DALTON, born 1907; died November 15, 1981, Hauxwell Hall, Leyburn, Yorkshire.

ALICE NEVILLE DALTON died 1918. She married LT. COL. JEMMETT DUKE October 07, 1886.

Child of ALICE DALTON and LT. DUKE is:

i. MARY GEORGINA DUKE.

SIR CHARLES JAMES GEORGEDALTON was born 1906. He married DAPHNE EVANS.

Child of SIR DALTON and DAPHNE EVANS is:

i. JOHN CHARLES TYNDALL DALTON.

JOHN CECIL D'ARCY DALTON was born 1907, and died November 15, 1981 in Hauxwell Hall, Leyburn, Yorkshire. He married PAMELA FRANCES SEGRAVE.

Children of JOHN DALTON and PAMELA SEGRAVE are:

i. JAMES WILLIAM DALTON.

ii. RICHARD JOHN DALTON.

The following is an article found on the Internet that shows the Haresnape and the Thurnham Dalton families.

The Haresnape family:
In about 1613, George Haresnape who was born in Stalmine and may have been the son of Robert, arrived in Thurnham with his wife Jennet. He seems to have been the first tenant of Haresnape's Farm and presumably gave it the name that exists today.

Superstition is common in any period of history and these years proved no exception. Disasters, plagues and misfortunes were often believed to be the result of evil forces rather than natural occurrences. Cottagers may have nailed horseshoes and suchlike over the entrances to their homes to ward away bad luck. Some individuals were singled out as witches who could be blamed for current misfortune. These people could be legally tried and punished for their supposed crimes. At nearby Lancaster castle in 1612, in one infamous event, nineteen men and women were convicted of witchcraft and ten of them were subsequently hanged on Gallows Hill (Witches of Pendle).

Haresnape`s farm in the 1600s was one of several which belonged to the Dalton family who were Lords of the Manor and lived at Thurnham Hall about half a mile from Haresnape`s farm. The Daltons had originated at Dalton, situated fairly close to Croston. There is some evidence that the Haresnapes were leaseholders on the Dalton estate here and moved north from Bispham to Cockerham when the Daltons sold the Croston estate and purchased the Thurnham estate.

The farm buildings, like many of the cottages in the area were constructed using stone blocks from the abandoned monastery at Cockersand on the coast. The abbey had once belonged to the Order of Premonstarianism (White Canons) but had suffered dissolution in 1536 - 1539 under the changes wrought by Henry the Eighth. The land on which the farm lies may have been monastery property at one time. The farmhouse itself was of single story with a thatched roof.

In those years, Thurnham had no church of its own but services were held at the nearby church at Cockerham. Plague certainly came to the area for one of the vicars is recorded as burying 11 members of the same family before he himself succumbed. In 1631 at Preston some 15 miles to the south, 1070 of the population (about a third) died from an epidemic. This illustrates that plague was a regular visitation to the population and was not confined to the infamous great outbreak of 1665 in London.

The Daltons, as did many of the upper classes, retained their Catholic faith following the Reformation and built priest holes (hiding places) into the walls of their home. For a century the Daltons were buried in the grounds of the old monastery (in the 13th century chapter house) and we can imagine the funeral processions trundling down the lane and past the farm, where our ancestors would have stood in respect. Further to this it has been observed that the Haresnapes at the farm at the end of the 16th century were Catholics too, being listed as “convicted recusants”. It is possible that their Catholic faith had survived continuously from before the Reformation, and was to continue into the next century (at least 150 years). The close association with the Daltons and later with the Gillows seems to confirm this. This Catholic tradition was not applicable to all the Haresnapes during these years, as can be seen from the fact that in 1674 a Roger Harsnep was incarcerated in Lancaster gaol for about 15 months for not paying his tithes (taxes to the Anglican church). He was also to be fined eight shillings in 1679 for attending a meeting at the house of Richard Cubban in Bickerstaff. Roger lived in the Aughton area and seems to have been an early Quaker.

The whole area is low-lying and at one time was regularly flooded by the sea. Although the area is now dyked and drained, the land in the 1600s may not have been suitable for crops and the farm used as a source of moss fuel. However there is evidence that the Haresnapes had shearing rights, and therefore sheep were probably kept on the land.

In 1641, the first raw cotton to arrive in Lancashire from America was unloaded from a sailing ship at Sunderland Point. This should have been visible from the farm, but it would have been impossible for the Haresnapes (John 1614 and his wife Ales) to have known what a tremendous change this heralded for the lives of the people of Lancashire, and indeed the future Haresnapes.

1642-52 encompassed the years of the English Civil Wars. Again, we do not know how this affected our ancestors, but perhaps everyone in the country was somehow touched by this dramatic period. Certainly the Daltons played their part and were Royalists supporting King Charles. Thomas Dalton was killed in the Battle of Newbury (Berkshire) in 1643. It has been said by historians that tenants would have followed the allegiances of their landlords, so we might speculate that the Haresnapes were Royalists too (even if passive ones). Civil War action in the area included the current Lord Derby (Royalist) trying to siege the castle walls at Lancaster, some five miles to the north, in 1643. He failed in his attempt and perhaps in frustration his army set fire to the thatched roofs of the town and these burnt fiercely. It took several years for the town to recover. Eight years later Derby was to be publicly beheaded at Bolton. In 1648, there was a major battle at the town of Preston, which had changed hands several times in the war. Oliver Cromwell and his battle - seasoned army put to route a far larger group of untrained Scots under the command of the Duke of Hamilton. There is a tradition at Cockerham that at this time Cromwell and his army crossed a stile here on their way to remove a band of Royalists from the church at Cockerham. (I wonder if any of these were Haresnapes). The stile is still referred to as Oliver`s stile.

The following material was copied from The Dalton Genealogical Society online web page. Vol. 5, No. 1, January 2002.
Extracted by Michael Cayley, DGS Archivist.

Source:
The "Calendar of Fine Rolls" covers the period of 1292 -1343 during the reigns of Edward II and Edward III of England.

16 Oct 1300, Carlisle.

Order to John de Lythegreynes, Robert de Boulton and Ralph de Dalton to take fines from those convicted of desertion and other offences touching the king’s expedition to Scotland before the said Robert and Ralph and Peter becard in the county of York; the sheriff having been ordered to be intendant to them.

10 Feb 1303, Langley.
Order to all persons to be intendant to the king’s clerk, Ralph de Dalton, whom the king has appointed to survey and examine the business of the custom granted to the king from merchants of foreign parts on merchandise brought by them to the realm or taken thence, in every port, town and place beyond Trent, and to take the oath of the collectors thereof and the view of their accounts and to enquire touching the manner of the collection thereof, so that he can advisedly inform collectors touching the things that need correction, and to do and ordain all things expedient herein.

Vol. III, Edward II, 1319-1327, pub. HMOs 1912

4 April 1322, Altofts.
Order to Henry de Percy to deliver John de Dalton, late servant of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, the king’s enemy and rebel, from the prison where Henry detains him, the king having been given to understand that Henry, by pretext of the king’s appointment of him to arrest all persons opposing the king and in rebellion in the county of York and their adherents and to commit the same to prison until further order, arrested the said John as an adherent of the said earl and detains him, and, at the request of Eleanor de Percy, mother of Henry, and of Henry himself, having granted that if Eleanor and he will mainprise to have the said John before the king or elsewhere at the king’s order to answer touching the things whereon the king would speak against him, he may be delivered meanwhile.

5 April 1322, Altofts.
Order to Thomas Ughtred, constable of the castle of Pikeryng, in the king’s hand, to deliver to John de Dalton, whom at the request of Eleanor de Percy and Henry her son, the king ordered Henry to deliver from prison as above, the lands of the said John, and to the said Eleanor and Henry his goods and chattels, which Thomas took into the king’s hand, by indenture to be made between him and them or their deputy, sending one part of that indenture to the wardrobe.

13 June 1322, Haddlesey.
Pardon to John de Dalton of Pykeryng, late bailiff of Thomas, earl of Lancaster, the king’s enemy and rebel, at the request of the king’s kinswoman, Eleanor de Percy, and for a fine of 100 marks made by John, of the king’s suit for the charge made against him that he was the king’s enemy and rebel and adhered to the said Thomas and other the kingt’s enemies and rebels; and grant to him of his lands, goods and chattels, taken into the king’s hand on that account, to hold as he held the same before.

Note: The John de Dalton mentioned above is Sir John de Dalton 1^st, born before 1300 and is a son of Sir Robert de Dalton. (RD)

7 August 1326, Pickering.
Of those who have made fines with the king to save their lives and to have their lands, to wit:

Robert de Dalton, knight, of the county of Lancaster, of late the king’s enemy and rebel, and on that account taken and detained in prison, has made fine in 100 marks to save his life and have his lands, whereof he will pay at the exchequer a moiety at Christmas next and a moiety at Easter following, and for payment thereof has found as mainpernors John de Bulmere, Thomas le Taillour of Pykeryng, of the county of York, and Adam de Asshurst of the county of Lancaster, each of whom has mainprised therefor and for Robert’s good behaviour, as is contained on the dorse.

8 April 1326, Kenilworth.
Robert de Dalton of Lancaster was one of the mainpernors for the fine paid by Robert de Irlaund to recover his wife’s lands following his part in Thomas of Lancaster’s rebellion.

Note: This Robert de Dalton is Sir Robert de Dalton of Lancashire, born about 1279 in Byspham, Lancashire Co, England. (RD)

1 June 1336, Woodstock.
Commission to Ralph de Middelneye, reciting the appointment of the king’s clerks, John Cok of Exeter, Hugh de Eboraco and William de Dalton, to take into the king’s hands and keep safely until further order the goods and chattels, both jewels and other things, late of Robert de Tanton, keeper of the wardrobe of the household, owing to the account which he was held to render on the day of his death of the time when he was keeper; and appointing Ralph to cause to be ground all the corn late growing in the lands of the temporalities of the provostship of Wells, late of the said Robert, provost of Wells, which the said Hugh has caused to be collected and put in the granges of Coumbes St Nicholas and Wynesham, in the counties of Somerset and Dorset; and to cause the same to be sold by view and testimony of good men of that place, so that he answer for the money arising therefrom; the king having ordered the said John, Hugh and William to deliver the corn to him.

Note: This William de Dalton, born 1305, is the son of Sir Robert de Dalton of Byspham, Lancashire Co, England. (RD)

Vol V, Edward III, 1337-1347, pub. HMSO 1915

8 March 1341, Westminster.
Commitment during pleasure to Robert de Dalton, for good service, of the keeping of the Tower of London, with the usual fees.

Order to William Lenlis, late keeper, to deliver the same to him, with the prisoners, arms, victualls and all other things therein.

Note: Sir Robert de Dalton again.

18 Sep 1341, Westminster.
Order to the collectors of the customs of wools, hides and woolfells in the port of Great Yarmouth to permit Laurence de Dalton, pursuanty to the king’s grant, to lade in that port three lasts of hides and to take them to Flanders to the king’s staple there, receiving from him a mark for each last for the custom due.

Note: This Laurence de Dalton name is a new name name for this time period and further research is needed to connect him to one of our known Dalton names. (RD)

17 May 1343, Westminster.
Grant for life to John de la Ryvere and Richard le Pedelowe, for good service, of the king’s sluices and weirs of the water of Lymeryk in Ireland, and of the king’s fishery there, which William le Surgien, deceased, held of the king at farm, to hold at the rent of 12 marks a year at Michaelmas at the excjequer of England; mainpernors, John de Pomfreit and Geoffrey le Bruere of London and William de Dalton and Hugh son of William of the county of Dublin in Ireland. By King because it was suggested that William rendered only 100s.

James Langley Dalton, 1833-1887:
This story is about the battle of Rorke’s Drift in which James Langley Dalton was a English hero. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery.

We have not as yet found the parents of James Langley Dalton or if his line connects with our own Dalton pedigree, but I have added it to this book because of its historical value.

Complied and edited from sources taken off the Internet and with material from the Dalton Genealogical Society, by Rodney G. Dalton, Ogden Utah USA.

Roake’s Drift was a small mission station with a hospital. It had been set up by the British as a supply base in the Zulu campaign of 1879.

Of note: There is a British film, “Zulu” which tells the story about this famous battle with the Zulu tribe in South Africa and the English force’s on January 22 1879.

Dennis Folbigge plays Commissary Dalton in the film.

James Langley Dalton is believed to have been born in 1833 in St. Andrews, Holborn, London according to the 1851 Census of the 85^th Regiment. He enlisted in the British Army on Nov. 20^th, 1849 in London and was assigned to the 85^th regiment in Waterford, Ireland, where he served for 6 months. He was 17 or possibly even younger. Although 18 was the minimum age for joining up, regimental recruiting parties weren't too fussy about written evidence of age provided the recruit was tall enough, so they collected their 2s 6d fee for attesting him and the handsome red-haired Dalton got a bounty of 3. 10s. Regimental records show that he was a well disciplined soldier who qualified for good conduct pay, regularly drew his beer money and took his 30 days leave each December.

After six months the Regiment returned to England where he stayed until in 1853 he sailed on the Marion to Mauritius and so began his long career in the far-flung outposts of the British Empire. Two years later he had become a Sergeant Major and was on his way to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa to serve in the 8^th, Frontier War and his first confrontations with cattle stealing tribesmen.

He spent five years in England in the 1860s when he was transferred to the Commissariat staff Corps and attended the famous School of Musketry at Hythe, Kent. From 1868-71 Dalton did a tour in Canada at the end of which he, by then a 1^st, Class SSGT in the Army Service Corps, claimed his discharge. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Long Service Medal for his 22 years in the army. His pension was 9s 6d a day.

On the 13^th, of Dec. 1877 he volunteered for further service in the 9^th, Frontier War. Prior to the action at Rorke’s Drift he was mentioned in dispatches for “efficient conduct” at Ibeka Depot.

The pull of South Africa was such that Dalton went to live there, probably in the frontier area where he had served, but his peaceful retirement in a glorious climate was shattered when he was roped in by the British Commander in Chief who was scouring the colony for men with some military know how. Dalton was I appointed Acting Assistant Commissary in December 1877 organizing and maintaining the re-supply of British ' columns and at the end of the 9th Kaffir war was the only civilian mentioned in dispatches.

About six months later in the run up to the Zulu wars he volunteered his services and moved to Natal - so it was eight years after his retirement that he took part in the action which was to bring him fame. The Victoria Cross was presented to him by General Clifford-in a parade at Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, in the words of the local newspaper, 'amid surroundings well calculated to make it impressive to participators and spectators alike.' He was promoted Assistant Commissary at the end of 1879 and put on half pay.

Not a lot is known about his last years or indeed about his private life. The 1851 census of the 85th Regiment gives his birthplace, as St Andrews, Holborn, but searches of the Roman Catholic parish registers have not revealed his baptism. Speculations include that his family was Irish and that perhaps he was taken to Ireland to be shown to his grandparents and was baptized over there. Joyce Parker suggests that his parents could have been a Charles Dalton (b 1809) who married Hannah Langley, people sometimes opting to call themselves by a preferred Christian name. Alternatively he could, for reasons unknown to us, have said he was born in London when in fact he was born in Ireland and came over here as a boy.

He was apparently a bachelor, so the E5 remittances in army account books in favour of a Mrs. Susan Dalton were probably to his mother.

In Feb. 1880 he was in England and 4 years later went back to Transvaal to prospect for gold in the rush of 1884-7. He owned 1,500 shares in the Little Bess Mine at Barberton, a town that seems to have been a carbon copy of those in Hollywood westerns. Just before Christmas 1886 he went to stay with an old army friend, John Williams, who kept the Grosvenor Hotel, Port Elizabeth. He seemed to be in fairly good health but after a day in bed he died suddenly in his room on the 8th January 1887. Dalton was buried in the Russell Road Roman Catholic cemetery, Port Elizabeth, where his grave can still be seen. He left no will but an inventory of his goods made out by his friend said that he had funds in the Standard Bank and 6 10s on his person. No mention is made of any property, or of his Victoria Cross medal.

Why was he awarded the Victoria Cross?

Some of James Dalton’s actions taken from letters and interviews with some of the men involved in the battle:
“Whilst the hospital was being thus gallantly defended, Lieutenant Chard and Assistant Commissary Dalton, with two or three men, succeeded in converting the two large pyramids of sacks of mealies into an oblong and lofty redoubt, and, under heavy fire, blocking up the intervening space between the two with sacks from the top of each, leaving a hollow in the centre for the security of the wounded and giving another admirable and elevated line of fire all round. About this time the men were obliged to fall back from the outer middle, and then to the inner wall of the kraal forming our left defense.” “Dalton, as brave a soldier as ever lived, had joined us, and hearing the terrible news said, ‘Now we must make a defense!’ It was his suggestion, which decided us to form a breastwork of bags of grain, boxes of biscuit, and everything that would help to stop a bullet or keep out a man. An ox-wagon and even barrels of rum and lime juice were pressed into service.”

“Chard and Bromhead, in consultation with Acting Assistant Commissary Officer, James Langley Dalton hurriedly organized the construction of a barricade of 200lbs mealie bags and teak crates, plus two overturned wagons which were incorporated into the South wall”

“After Spalding left, Chard and Bromhead heard distant rifle fire, but they ignored it until survivors straggled in warning them about the impending attack. Acting Assistant Commissary Officer James Dalton convinced the two officers to construct a fort around the exposed compound. Quickly, everyone stacked mealie (maize/corn) bags, biscuit boxes, and water barrels into barricades”

“James L. Dalton superintended the work of defense and was amongst those receiving the first wave of attack, where he saved the life of a man by killing the Zulu assailant. Although wounded himself, he continued to give the same display of cool courage throughout the action”

James Dalton was born in London in 1833. He enlisted in 85th Foot in November 1849 aged 17. He transferred to the Commissariat Corps in 1862 as a Corporal, and was promoted to Sergeant in the following year. Four years later, he became a clerk and a Master Sergeant. He served with Sir Garnet Wolseley on the Red River Expedition (Canada) in 1870.

He retired from the army, with a Long Service & Good Conduct medal in 1871 after 22 years service. By 1877, he was in South Africa and volunteered for service as Acting Assistant Commissary with the British Force. It was largely due to his experience, which made the defense of Rorke's Drift a success. At first his contribution was not recognized; however reports of his actions finally reached the ears of senior officers and even Queen Victoria.

Copied from an article in the DGSJ, Vol. 7:
From the London Gazette, 17^th Nov 1879;
“James Langley Dalton, acting assistant Commissary and Transport Corps. Date of Bravery; January 22 1879. For his conspicuous gallantry during the attack on Roake’s Drift Post by Zulus on the night of 22^nd January 1879, when he actively superintended the work of defense and was amongst the foremost of those who received the first attack at the corner of the hospital, where the deadliness of his fire did great execution and the mad rush of the Zulus met with it’s first check and where by his cool courage, he saved the life of a man of the Army Hospital Corps, by shooting the Zulu who had seized the muzzle of the man’s rifle, was in the act of assaulting him. This Officer, to whose energy much of the defense of the place was due, was severely wounded during the contest, but still continued to give the same example of cool courage”.

He received his VC from General Hugh Clifford VC at a special parade at Fort Napier on 16 January 1880. He returned to army service being given a permanent commission. He sailed for England in February 1880. He soon returned to South Africa and took part shares in a gold mine. He died at a friend's house at Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape on 7 January 1887, age 53. (His VC is in the Royal Logistic Corps Museum, Blackdown, Camberley, Surrey).

Obiturary:
From the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser, Tuesday, April 26, 1887:

“We have had several instances of more or less sudden deaths in this town lately (says the Port Elizabeth Telegraph), but few are more sad than that of the Rev. James Dalton, V.C., formerly of the 85th Regiment. Mr. Dalton had taken his discharge from the army, but in the Zulu War of 1879 volunteered for service against the Zulu’s. The engagement at Rorke's Drift is a matter of history, and the gallant defense made by the comparative handful of men against a horde of bloodthirsty savages has been made the plot for thrilling dramas and the chief attraction at dioramas, exhibitions, and lectures. On that critical occasion Mr. Dalton made himself conspicuous by his bravery, and in acknowledgment he received the Victoria Cross - the highest and most coveted dignity in the army that is open to all ranks, and he was offered a lieutenant's commission, which he accepted, went to England, and soon after did service in Egypt with the rank of captain.”

James Langley Dalton died 7th. January 1887 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He is buried in the Russell Road Roman Catholic Cemetery with a memorial, Plot E.

Of note: Some of the articles above are attributed and quoted from the Dalton Genealogical Society and are copyrighted and can not be reproduced for commercial profit in any form unless prior permission is given. The information in the above chapter is only meant to be about our Dalton history in England, to be enjoyed for this and future generations.