WALTON

The ancient origin of the name Walton was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Walton is a locational name from the twenty-five parishes of Walton that are found in England. Variants of this name include Waltan, Walten and Wauton. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are an Alicia de Walton who was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the year 1379. A William de Walton was recorded in the 'Preston Guild Rolls' in the year 1415. A Hugh Walton and Margaret Woulerrye were married in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the year 1578. A George Walton, 1741-1804, was one of those who signed the American Declaration of Independence, his grandfather having emigrated from England in 1682.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.