Ellen Masson1

F, #1321

Family: Sir Henry de Hoghton d. 1479

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
MarriageSon Alexander born in 1454.2,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 25.
  3. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).

Richard Hoghton1,2

M, #1322

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland3
OriginCowley, Oxford, England3
BiographyRichard of Park Hall; family in early 1700's changed name to Dalton of Thurnlan Hall2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella): in Sir Bernard's handwritten note.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32.

Alice Hoghton1

F, #1323

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32.

Anne Hoghton1

F, #1324

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32.

Agnes Hoghton1

F, #1325

Family: Richard Butler

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland2
Marriage2,1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32.

Richard Butler1,2

M, #1326

Family: Agnes Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
OriginRawcliffe3,2
Marriage3,2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32 #51s.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 32.

Katherine Gerard1

F, #1327

Family: The Right Worshipful Thomas Hoghton b. 1518, d. 3 Jun 1580

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Marriage2,3,1
BiographyJWH: "daughter of Sir Thomas Gerard of Brynne, in the County of Lancashire, Knight, and by her had issue."2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.
  3. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).

Jane de Hoghton1,2

F, #1328, b. 1554

Family: Roger Bradshaigh

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Birth1554England, age 26 in 22 Eliz3,2
Marriage15803,2
BiographyClaimed the property of her father at his death; but courts adjudged to Sir Richard's son Thomas, by his second wife, Alexander having died without children.
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27 #45c.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.

Roger Bradshaigh1

M, #1329

Family: Jane de Hoghton b. 1554

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Marriage15802,1
BiographyJWH: James Bradshaw, son and heir of Roger Bradsahw, Esq., of Haigh, in Lancashire. Sued for estate of wife.
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.

Alexander Hoghton1,2,3,4

M, #1330

Family 1: Dorothy Assheton

Family 2: Elizabeth Hesketh

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Corresponded with authorN
NotableY
BirthEngland, Brother by father's second wife born in 1541.5
Marriage15756,7,3,4
Mar 26,3,4
Notebetween 1580 and 1581Hoghton Tower, Preston, Lancashire, England, Lord of Hoghton7
WillAug 3, 1581Alexander Hoghton, of Hoghton Tower, bequeathed his stock of theatre costumes and musical instruments to his brother, and enjoined his neighbor, Sir Thomas Hesketh "to be friendly unto Fulke Gillam and Will Shakeshafte now dwelling with me, and either take them into his service or help them to some good master." [This is a reference to the William Shakespeare, using a spelling variant that his grandfather Richard used.] The Hoghtons were either Catholic or Catholic sympathizers. Hoghton Tower is argued, in this article, to have been "the secret college and headquarters of the Englis Counter-Reformation" [of Catholicism and Jesuit teaching]. Nine of twenty-one Catholic schoolmasters executed under Elizabeth were from Lancashire, an area known to harbor Catholic dissidents. Alexander Hoghton, in 1592, was listed as keeping "recusants as schoolmasters." The county was a "springboard for missionaries like Thomas Hoghton and Thomas Cottom, who both taught there..." One of the most famous Catholic Jesuit priests, Edmund Campion, in 1581, was noted by the Privy Council when it commanded a search for "certain books and papers which Edmund Camption has confessed he left at the house of one Richard Hoghton of Lancashire." Shakespeare was known to have been present at Hoghton in August 1581.1,4
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "Will mentions "instruments belonging to music and all manner of play clothes."
de Hoghton Pedigree II: "Alexander Hoghton, succeeded to his brother's estates, and married, 1st Dorothy, only daughter of Richard Assheton, of Middleton, in Lancaster, Esq., and 2ndly, Elizabeth, sister of Sir Thomas Hesketh, and widow of Geo. Warburton, Esq., and died s.p."

JWH: "Alexander, who married first in 1575, Dorothy, daughter of Richard Ashton, of Middletown; and second, Elizabeth, sister of Thomas Hesketh, and widow of George Warburton, Esq. He had no issue by either."

Won suit against Roger/James Bradshaw. Died without issue and his estate descended to his half brother, Thomas

Hoghton Tower: Patron of William Shakespeare. 1580-1581 gave hospitality to Edmund Champion, S. J.


There is a theory, argued by E. A. J. Honigmann (Shakespeare: "The Lost Years" - 1985), that has Shakespeare located in Lancashire in the household of the powerful, Catholic Hoghton family. The link between faraway Lancashire and Stratford, as this theory has it, would have been Shakespeare's last schoolmaster John Cottom. The theory is based on rather circumstantial evidence found in a Hoghton will, asking his kinsman to take care of "...William Shakeshaft, now dwelling with me..." along with references to plays, play-clothes and musical instruments. The theory has it that Shakespeare was engaged by the Hoghtons as a schoolmaster on Cottom's recommendation (Cottom being a Lancashire native living near the Hoghtons) and then began, naturally, participating in their private theatricals, and then passed through the Stanleys (who had many holdings in Lancashire to Lord Strange's men, a theater company with which Shakespeare was definitely associated. The theory is presented convincingly in Honigmann's book, but cannot be demonstrated with certainty.6,7,2,3
Notablewas a patron of William Shakespeare7,1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S95] Newspaper, London Times Literary Supplement, 12/19/97, Richard Wilson, "Shakespeare and the Jesuits."
  2. [S244] Frank Singleton, Hoghton Tower, Lancashire, p. 22.
  3. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  4. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  5. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 26.
  6. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.
  7. [S243] Hoghton Tower, p. 6.

Dorothy Assheton1,2

F, #1331

Family: Alexander Hoghton

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Corresponded with authorN
BirthMiddletown, England
Marriage15753,4,1,2
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "dau. Richard Assheton of Middlesex."
JWH: "daughter of Richard Ashton of Middletown;"
Hoghton Tower: dau. of Richard Assheton of Middleton3,2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.
  4. [S243] Hoghton Tower, p. 6.

Elizabeth Hesketh1,2,3

F, #1332

Family: Alexander Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Mar 24,2,3
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "sister Sir Thomas Hesketh of Aughton and widow of George Warburton."
JWH: "sister of Thomas Hesketh, and widow of George Warburton, Esq."4,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27 #46s.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.

Isabella Hoghton1

F, #1333

Family: William Holden

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Birth
Marriage15192,1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.

William Holden1,2

M, #1334

Family: Isabella Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
OriginDuxbury, Lancashire, England2
Marriage15193,2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27 #47s.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 27.

William Hoghton1,2,3

M, #1335, d. 1642

Family: Grace Sherburne

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Corresponded with authorN
BirthEngland4
Marriage4,5
Death1642England4
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #55.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella): in Sir Bernard's handwritten note.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.
  5. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.

Thomas Hoghton1,2,3

M, #1336

Family: Katherine Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland5
Marriage6,7,8,3
Biography"Thomas, who married Catherine, one of the daughters and co-heirs of John Hoghton, of Pendleton, before mentioned, and left four daughters, his co-heirs."

Francis W. Houghton lists five children of Thomas Houghton, including John Houghton the Emigrant.5
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #56.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 63 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
  5. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.
  6. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33, 69.
  7. [S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 46, 63 (Genealogy of Francis Walter Houghton).
  8. [S904] Houghton Family Records;, no page, Chart by Francis W. Houghton, Apr. 8, 1869.

Adam Hoghton1,2,3

M, #1337

Family: Mary Hurst

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland4
Marriage4
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "of Lea Moor House, Whittingham"
de Hoghton Pedigree II: "of Lea Moor, who left issue."
JWH: "of Leah Moor, who married Mary, daughter of Mr. Hurst and left descendants."4,2,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #57.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Henry Hoghton1,2,3

M, #1338

Family: Anne Towneley

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland4
Marriage4,2,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #58.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Mary Hoghton1,2,3

F, #1339

Family: Thomas Walmesley

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Corresponded with authorN
BirthEngland4
MarriageHis second wife4,2
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree II: "2nd wife to Thomas Walmesley, of Dunkenhalgh."2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #59.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Catherine Hoghton1,2,3

F, #1340

Family: Thomas Middleton Esq.

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Corresponded with authorN
BirthEngland4
Marriage4,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #60.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Mary Hurst1

F, #1341

Family: Adam Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Marriage2
Biography"Mary, daughter of Mr. Hurst"2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #57s.
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Anne Towneley1,2

F, #1342

Family: Henry Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
Marriage3,1,2
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I, Pedigree II: married Anne, daughter of Lawrence Towneley, Esq."
JWH: "Anne, daughter of Lawrence Townley, of Baniside."3,1,2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Thomas Walmesley1

M, #1343

Family: Mary Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
OriginDunkenhalgh, England, JWH: Duncan Haigh2,1
MarriageHis second wife2,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.
  3. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).

Thomas Middleton Esq.1,2,3

M, #1344

Family: Catherine Hoghton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
OriginLeighton, England4,2,3
Marriage4,3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33 #60s.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 33.

Margaret Aston

F, #1345, d. 23 December 1657

Family: Sir Gilbert Hoghton Bt b. 1591, d. Apr 1647

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthCranford, Middlesex, England1
Marriage2,3
DeathDec 23, 1657England4,3
Biographyde Hoghton Pedigree I: "dau. Sir Roger Aston of Cranford";
JWH: Daughter and co-heir of Sir Roger Ashton of Cranford in Middlesex.2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S16] CJV opinion, bd.
  2. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 34.
  3. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  4. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.
  5. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.

Thomas Hoghton1,2

M, #1346

Family: Helen Halstead

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland
Marriage3
BiographyJ.W. Houghton, p. 35: "Thomas, who married Helen, daughter of John Halstead, Esq., of Rowley, near Burnley, and left descendants."

J.W. Houghton speculates that Thomas was the father of Ralph, see p. 66.

Multiple traditions include both that he died without issue, and was the younger brother of Ralph.3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.

Richard Hoghton1,2

M, #1347

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland
Biography"who died without issue."3
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.

Radcliffe Hoghton1

M, #1348, d. 9 February 1643

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
NotableY
BirthEngland
DeathFeb 9, 1643Preston, England3,4,1
BiographyJWH, p. 35:"Captain of Horse, and killed at the taking of Preston, Feb 9, 1643."; p. 59: "From Ratcliffe Houghton, the fourth son, we claim descent under the name of Ralph Houghton. We will speak of him more fully later, suffice it to say here that Rice's report to the Houghton Association states that Ratcliffe was Captain of Horse, and killed at the taking of Preston on 9th of February, 1642-43, soon after which Houghton Tower was captured by the Parliamentary forces. Sir Henry Bold Houghton [after 1799], on the contrary, informs us that "the records do not so state it."

p. 60-62:"Ratcliffe the Emigrant

Let us now turn to Ratcliffe Hoghton, Sir Richard's fourth son, who, according to our tradition, was identical with Ralph Houghton, from whom we trace our direct lineage. He was born in the year 1623. Our records inform us, rather obscurely, that he once saved the life of King Charles I while on a hunting excursion, by a display of personal strength and daring, and that he was knighted by the King for this gallant service. He nevertheless stroke boldly under Cromwell for the cause of civil and religious liberty; and took an active part in the Civil War which then rabaged England. None but the most noble and disinterested motives could have actuated him to such a course, for all his associations and interests must have urged him to take up arms for the King. By entering the ranks of the Roung Heads he effectually sundered the fraternal claim which b ound him to his connections and his family, who were ardent Royalists, and made a Royal stronghold of their ancestral Tower; he turned his former patron, the King, into a powerful enemy, he became a rebel, subject to all the penalties of high treason, but none of these things moved him.
He was present and assisted at the taking of Preston (near Hoghton Tower) by the Parliamentary forces, February 9, 1643. According to the English family records he was there slain, but for reasons before stated, we think this an error. Sir Gilbert, Ralph's eldest brother, had garrisoned Hoghton Tower, fired his beacon, and in company with Lord Strange was now taking an active part against the Round Heads. After the taking of Preston, the Tower was invested. As Ralph was present at the capture of Preston, it is more than probable that he participated in the attack on the home of his ancestors. If such were the fact, it speaks better for his patriotism and puritanic hardihood than for his sensibilities. It may be also that his family considered him a renegade, and his treason, particularly the last act, a blot upon their escutcheon, and dropped him from their records, and announced his death at the battle of Preston, a statement which doubtless facilitated his subsequent escape from England. The different accounts we have of Ralph are contradictory as to dates, and therefore difficult to unravel. They state that in consequence of the Civil Wars and religious troubles, which then agitated England, he emigrated to America about the year 1646. This period of his history is involved in obscurity; some say that he was accompanied by his wife Jane, and his sons, Ralph and James, also John, supposed to be a cousin, and John's wife, Beatrix, and their children, John, Jacob, Mary, and that they landed 1650-1651. Ralph appears to have settled at Watertwon, Mass. in 1646, and to have remained there until the next year (1647) when he and nine others obtained a grant of a township of land a few miles distant, to be forever called Lancaster, the first division of land by the Prudential managers was made in 1653, when, or in the following year, the General Court, in response to their petition, regularly incorporated the township, whereupon Ralph Hoghton was chosen the first town clerk."

The Hoghtons of Hoghton Tower do not credit the tradition that Ralph was the son of Sir Richard. See Houghton, p. 62-64: Tradition is that he was knighted by King James I for services rendered to his person. He fought under Cromwell against King Charles I. and that in consequence there of, and of his religious opinions he was forced to flee to America. He was a devoted Roundhead/Puritan. His bother Gilbert was a Cavalier. He may have assisted in attacking the Tower. There are no records related to him in America. Documents may have been burned in 1675 when Lancaster, MA was taken by the Indians under King Phillip. Ralph was then the recording officer of the settlement and the town records were destroyed with the place.

J.W. Houghton devotes a chapter to the theory that Ratcliff, who took sides with the Roundheads, and participated in the attack on the Royalists at Preston and helped on the attack on Houghton Tower, was reported as killed in that engagement, and thereafter dropped from the records by the Royalist family, and that he came to America under the name of Ralph Houghton.5
NotableErroneously identified as the Emmigrant Ralph Houghton of Lancaster, MA
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  2. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.
  4. [S200] Smith, Report to Houghton Association, p. 43.
  5. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35, 60-62.

Roger Hoghton1,2

M, #1349

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland
DeathGermany, in battle; s. p.3,1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.

Anne Hoghton1,2

F, #1350

Family: Sir John Cotton

Biography

Corresponded with authorN
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectN
BirthEngland
Marriagefirst marriage3,2
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1264] De Hoghton Pedigree II Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella).
  2. [S1265] De Hoghton Pedigree I Chart;,, from Sir Bernard de Hoghton, BT, Apr 2004 (in possession of Charles J. Vella):.
  3. [S1] Dr. John Wesley Houghton M.D., Houghton Genealogy of 1912, p. 35.