Introduction
 |
Welcome
Welcome to the Warburton Website, home of the
Warburton One-Name Study (registered with the Guild
of One-Name Studies), the Warburton Surname DNA Project, and the Warburton
Society.
The Warburton Society is designed for anyone who has, or was born with, the Warburton name, or who has close links to it. There is no cost involved ,and you will receive a periodic Newsletter via the Internet. In return your input could be valuable to me, and I might be able to link you to one of the Warburton families I have already uncovered. Membership of the Society is achieved by joining the Surname DNA Project, where you now have the option to join without taking a DNA test.
The first Newsletter includes the following:
 | An article on Nonconformism in Hale, Cheshire and its impact on genealogical research |
| An article on Triangulation; how to interpret DNA results |
| A famous Warburton: Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Warburton 1842-99 |
| A One-Name Project Progress Report including recent website updates and current plans |
| Any notices that members might want to communicate; though it should be noted that I don’t intend to replace the various Warburton Boards on Rootsweb, Ancestry etc. as the main fora for asking general Warburton genealogy questions. |
To
join go to the DNA Heritage join
page, and select 'Join without taking a DNA test' (unless you want to take
it), or if you have a query or comment click here
to send me an email.
Recent
Updates
19-Oct-09 The thirteenth DNA
result, plus a strange match to a non-Warburton, the Garryhinch Clan, the Turton
Clans, a Wilmslow families spreadsheet (plus amendments to Bowdon and
Mobberley), South Cheshire Parish Register Information renamed Miscellaneous
Parish Register Information with entries from Warrington, and Bolton (Turton ad
Walmsley) added, the Warburton Society announcement, and a DNA test price
reduction all added
26-July-09 Two more Descendant
Reports added. Arley and Hale Barns Clans have minor updates. My Genealogy
Notes amended to be more consistent, and My Ancestors amended.
17-June-09 The Descendant Report
for the Warburtons of Arley Hall, and a list of Warburtons from the Great
Budworth parish register (1558-1734) added.
21-May-09 One new DNA Result with
matching Descendant Report (Hamlet of Warrington). As this matches me I have
replaced The Link to Clive with My Genetic Links.
17-April-09 Marriage in the
Cathedral added and Bowdon Families has minor updates.
02-February-09 One new clan, the
Warburtons of Weaverham, added. Also some minor additions to my own clan.
Site Overview
This site contains the following sections.
Home of The Warburton One-Name Study.
This is this section, and it includes an introduction to the site, the study,
and the name of Warburton
Warburton Clans. The main focus of a
One-Name Study is to document occurrences of the name throughout the world, and
regardless of whether the holders are actually related. The Warburton One-Name
Study will tackle this by grouping occurrences into clans, documenting them as a
Descendants Report (in PDF format) for the earliest known ancestor of that clan,
and assigning a DNA profile to the clan where possible. This section introduces
the clans and provides links to the Descendant Reports where they exist.
Warburton Resources.
This site is also offered as a repository for any useful information on
Warburtons that might exist. The initially items are from my own research.
Typically items will be presented in either Spreadsheet of PDF format to allow
their downloading. This section provides a description and link to each
resource.
My Genealogy. This section describes my own
genealogical research and findings and includes a link to My Family Tree,
an Ancestor Report in PDF format, and some essays on interesting aspects. The
whole of the text of the section and its associated essays can also be obtained
as a PDF file called Warburton Genealogy Notes.
The DNA Project. The Warburton Surname DNA
Project has been running for 3 years. This section covers participation in the
project and results to date. The text is also available as a PDF document called
The Warburton Surname DNA Project.
About DNA Testing. This section contains a
description of the science of DNA testing for genealogical purposes and includes
some references. The text is also included in The Warburton Surname DNA
Project PDF document.
My Old Home Page. This is a legacy of my
former life. I have difficulty throwing things away.
The Society
DNA Heritage have now provided a facility for anyone
to join the Warburton Surname DNA Project, regardless of whether they take a
test. Over time they intend to provide additional facilities for managing a
membership list. I intend to use this facility to support a Warburton Society
designed for anyone who is interested in Warburton family history, and in the
progress of the One-Name Study.
I will produce a Newsletter at least twice per year
for distribution via email to Society members. Contributions to the Newsletter
will always be welcome. Membership carries no obligations, but just by joining
you give moral support to my project. I would of course appreciate any
additional support to my project that is offered.
Just click here
to go to the DNA Heritage join page.
The One-Name Study
By registering this study with the Guild of One-Name
Studies I commit to two things:
·
To collect references to the Warburton name on a world-wide
basis
·
To deal promptly with enquiries. The tree will include the
spouses of female Warburtons, and a note of their children where known
In addressing the first I do not intend to repeat
basic information that is available elsewhere on the Internet in censuses, BMD
sites or IGI. My emphasis will be refined, or more obscure information. The main
refinement is to present the Warburton clans. These are groups of related
Warburtons with a common ancestor. However it is open for anyone to provide
information for inclusion, and all relevant information will be accepted.
By presenting information in PDF or spreadsheet format
I hope to make it readily accessible to researchers. Hopefully this will help
with my second commitment, to respond promptly to queries. There are several
points in the site where you are invited to email
me. I hope the many of you I have
already corresponded with have found me diligent in this respect, though perhaps
not always able to provide the information you seek. Also I do take holidays on
a regular basis so the occasional delay is unavoidable.
Central to the Study will be the Warburton Surname DNA
Project. Data collected so far indicates a number of distinct Warburton clans
with different DNA profiles. The Study will aim to establish the descendants of
the earliest known ancestor in each identified Warburton clan, and to associate
a DNA profile to that clan, or to part of it.
On this site the clan data will be kept in textual
form. This site will not keep Family Trees in GEDCOM format. Apart from the fact
they are banned on Rootsweb Freepages, GEDCOM files are more appropriately kept
on sites designed to allow tree matching and cross tree searches, such as Ancestry
and Genes Reunited. The Guild of
One Name Studies also has an arrangement with LostCousins.
Because of the size of the Warburton Study use of this facility will involve a
large data entry activity. There are over 1500 Warburton heads of family in the
1881 census before considering overseas censuses. I will keep this option under
review for now pending feedback or offers of help.
I do not intend to provide a discussion board on this
site. There are already Warburton discussion boards on Ancestry.
Rootsweb,
and Genealogy.com.
The Origin of Warburton
The following story of the founding and naming of
Warburton is taken from Warburton: The Village and the Family by
Norman Warburton, published by The Research Publishing Company in 1970. The book
is out of print and the publishing company is no longer in existence. I have
located copies in the British Library, the Chester Records Office and at the
Family History Centre in Salt Lake City. I also have my own photocopy of the
book. My report on its contents can be found here.
A nephew of the author plans to scan the book and publish it on the web. I will
include a link here when this has been done.
In 626AD, Mercia defeated of
the kingdom of Northumbria and established the river Mersey as the northern
border of the kingdom. Subsequently Wolfere became the first Christian king of
Mercia. His daughter Werberg devoted her life to the community, and became Lady
President of Weedon and Abbess of Ely. She died in 700AD and was buried at
Hanbury near Repton. In 875AD she was canonised and her body was moved to
Chester. Queen Ethelfleda (daughter of King Alfred and wife of Ethelred of
Mercia) built a monastery in her name. It
was situated just west of the Lady Chapel of Chester Cathedral, where St.
Werberg’s tomb can still be found. In 915AD Ethelfleda, now widowed, was
fighting the Danes who were on the Wirral peninsular. She built a series of
forts, one of which was situated by a ford on the river Mersey. This she named
after St. Werberg (also spelt Werburgh or Werburghe). This settlement became
known as Werbergtune and is so recorded in the Doomsday Book. In 991AD it paid
Dane geld of ten shillings, suggesting a prosperous settlement. The name ending
of “–ton” or “–tun”
implies a farm enclosed by a ditch, moat or fence.
The village of Warburton still exists today, though it
is little more than a hamlet, and it is no longer on the banks of the river
Mersey which was diverted during the building of the Manchester Ship Canal
The surname Warburton is therefore a locative surname.
In the 13th and 14th centuries the growth of feudalism and the associated
requirement for record keeping was
causing the common man to adopt surnames for the first time. A man might use his
father’s name, the name of a trade, or in the case of locative names, the name
of his home or birthplace.
Only one adopter of the Warburton name is known,
though the situation is slightly different in that Sir Peter (or Piers) de
Dutton was not a common man, and he already had a name which he changed when he
adopted the name de Werberton in the 13th century, because he lived
on his estates there. Two hundred years later the family moved to Arley Hall in
Great Budworth, where their descendents still live today, although the
inheritance has twice passed through the female line and so the Warburton name
has been lost.
In his book Warburton: The
Village and the Family, Norman
Warburton details the descent of this aristocratic Warburton family from Adam de
Dutton, a descendant of Lord Odard, and suggests that all modern Warburtons may
be descended from one of its many branches. Locative surnames may well have a
single ancestor, but it is probable, particularly in the light of the DNA
results discussed below, that a number of individuals adopted the Warburton name
in medieval times.
The origins of the de Duttons are explained in the
following quote from "Leyester's Historical Antiquities", pp. 248-260,
published in 1673. Sir Peter Leycester of Tabley was himself a member of an
ancient Cheshire family with links to the Duttons:
The Warburtons claim consanguinity with the ancient blood-royal of England,
being descended from Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy, through William, Earl of
Eu, who …. married a sister of Hugh Lupus, Earl of Avranches, (afterwards Earl
of Chester) named Jeanne, and niece of William the Conqueror. There was Issue of
this marriage (besides William's successor in the earldom of Eu and another
child) six sons, named Nigel, Geffry, Odard or Huddard, Edard, Horswin and
Wlofaith. These six brothers accompanied their uncle, Hugh Lupus, into England,
in the train of William the Conqueror, their great-uncle; and on the
establishment of the Norman power had various estates and honors conferred upon
them. Nigel was created Baron of Halton and constable of Cheshire; Geffry was
Lord of Stopfort; Odard, Lord of Dutton; Edard, Lord of Haselwell; Horswin, Lord
of Shrigley; and Wlofaith, Lord of Halton. Odard, the third son, was the
ancestor of the Duttons, now extinct in the male line; the Barons of Chedill,
also extinct, and the Warburtons.
The following extract from "The History of the
City & County Palatine of Chester" by George Ormerod in 1882 is based
on Sir Peter’s work:
WILLIAM FITZ-NIGEL, 2nd Baron of Halton, Constable of
Cheshire, was by right of office ranked above all subjects of the Palatinate,
next to the Earl of Chester.
With the father of this William, Nigel Fitz-lvon (1st
Baron of Halton) , came five "supposedly brothers" from whom descend
the DUTTON'S, WARBURTON'S, HATTON'S, and other ancient Cheshire families, and
from circumstances of tenure, united to similarity of arms, it appears probable
that the LYMME'S and DANIELL'S were also of this noble stock.
However it must be noted that there is no contemporary
evidence of this link to William the Conqueror, and Sir Peter Leicester himself
cast doubt saying in his section on the Duttons: The ancient Roll of the Barons of Halton saith that with
Hugh, Earl of Chester, came one Nigell, a nobleman; and with Nigell came five
brethren, to wit: Hudard, Edard, Wolmere, Horswyne, and Wolfaith, a Priest, to
whom Nigell gave the Church of Runcorne; and unto Hudard, the same Nigell gave
Weston and Great Aston, (now divided into two Townships, Aston Grange and Aston
juxta Sutton,)….; and from this Hudard came all the Duttons. And in the Record
of Doomsday, Odard held Aston under William Fitz-Nigell, Baron of Halton; and
also Odard and Brictric held Weston under the said William, Anno Domini 1086.
Whether those five Brethren aforenamed, were Brethren to Nigell, is a doubt; for
then methinks he should have said Quinque Fratres sui: whereas he says onely,
cum isto Nigello Venerunt quinque Fratres, and so names them.
Lysons' Magna Britannia, Vol. II. says that Odard,
son of Yvron, viscount of Constantine (Cotentin) ….. was the Immediate
ancestor of the ancient and numerous family of Dutton of Dutton. A number of
genealogies can be found on the web showing that Odard, and his brothers were
the sons of the Viscount of Cotentin. Alas there is no contemporary evidence for
this either.
It would seem that claims of consanguinity with
William the Conqueror have a hint of family legend, and aggrandisement, about
them. A link to a viscount sounds more plausible, and there may well have been
five brothers (though it cannot be discounted that hey were simply
“brothers-in-arms). The establishment of a DNA profile for the only existing
Warburton family which has a claim (albeit undocumented) to kinship with the
descendants of Odard gives some support to the link to Cotentin.
The DNA profile has a haplotype of J2. The
distribution of J2 derives from its role as a marker for the post Ice Age
Neolithic expansion which brought farming to Europe. J2 is virtually absent from Scandinavia, and both Wales, NW
England, and Ireland, but it is present SE England, and across the Channel in France. If we assume this haplotype
is inherited from Odard then how did he get it? It certainly is difficult to
explain in terms of the various family claims of kinship with the Dukes of Normandy. Much more believable (though still
lacking contemporary documentary evidence) is the story that Odard and his
brothers were sons of the Viscount of Cotentin. It seems likely that to be part
of Hugh d'Avranche's retinue, and to receive the favours they did, they would be
part of at least the minor nobility in Normandy. It is also conceivable that they might
be of original French stock who, maybe as a result of intermarriage, managed to
prosper under the Normans. Now Cotentin, or the Cherbourg
peninsular is the sort of maritime area that coastally migrating Neolithics
might end up in. Conjecture I know, but the most likely explanation of how Odard
might have got the J2 haplotype.
Warburton Statistics
Some interesting statistics:
·
The UK
National Health Service Register has 10,069 Warburtons currently in the UK.
·
The US
1990 census shows Warburtons represented 0.001% of the 240 million
population, or approximately 2,400 Warburtons.
Census populations of Warburtons (UK excluding
Scotland, except 1841 includes 17 from Scotland):
|
1841 |
3670
|
|
1851 |
4194
|
|
1861 |
5190
|
|
1871 |
5997
|
|
1881 |
7373
|
|
1891 |
8064
|
|
1901 |
8829
|
1851 Census – Cheshire Warburtons:
A total of 996 Warburtons were living in Cheshire, of whom 493 were male.
There were 190 Warburton heads of family, of whom 158 were born in Cheshire.
However 207 heads of family born in Cheshire were living anywhere in England.
Warburton Distribution
The following maps show the UK distribution of the
Warburton name in 1881 and 1998. They are taken from the National Trust website
at: http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/.
The origin of the name on the Cheshire and Lancashire border is clearly
indicated.
|
Name
or Category: WARBURTON (1881) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
or Category: WARBURTON (1998) |
|
|
|
|
The same site describes the geographical spread of the
name. The highest concentration of Warburtons in Great Britain is in Bolton,
Lancashire. The highest concentration outside Britain is in Australia, with the
top state being Western Australia. However it is known that there is a large
colony of Egerton Warburtons, a distinct if related family, in Western
Australia, particularly around Pallinup which is described as the top standard
statistical division. The Egerton Warburtons are descended from the Warburtons
of Arley Hall, Cheshire through the female line.
There are also numbers of Warburtons in New Zealand
(Marlborough is the top Province), Canada (there are 250 entries in the Canada
411 directory), and the United States (Utah is the top State). Interestingly the
concentration in the Republic of Ireland is very low although one of the more
interesting and widespread Warburton families has its origins there in the
seventeenth century.