Aughton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Aughton was first found in Lancashire at Aughton, a village and civil parish within the West Lancashire district. "'Achetun' was held before the Conquest by Uctred, the Saxon proprietor of Dalton and Skelmersdale; the manor, or parts of it, subsequently came to the families of Acton or Aughton. Aughton Old Hall, the ancient residence of the Aughtons, is now a farmhouse." 1

"The share [Aughton, Lancashire, held by] Madoc de Aughton, ancestor of the Aughton family, is harder to trace. He granted to Einion de Aughton the mill by the pool of Aughton and the land of Haylandhurst in exchange for the overflow of the mill waters. Madoc his son gave to William son of Jugge land adjoining Cokemonhurst. Walter son of Madoc succeeded in or before the time of Edward II." 2

This is not the only local so named. Aughton Humber was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Actun and as Achetun. 3 To complicate matters more, Aughton is also a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire and a village near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. Literally, the place name means "farmstead where oak-tress grow," from the Old English words "ac" + "tun." 4 Conjecturally, the Aughton line is descended from Roger of Poitou, the Norman Baron who held the Lordship at the taking of the Domesday Book. Roger was son of Roger de Montgomery and the line became extinct under that identification. Aughton was recorded as having 2 hawk's eyries at that time.