C.2002 Graphic by E.Hatton

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This Site is Under Construction

through-out Pennsylvania in the middle and late eighteen hundreds the mines were in full operation and new immigrants were arriving in search of a new life.

My Hatton family sailed to America once more and settled in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania around 1882. I have no idea how they got here. There is no record, and the mystery behind the family will never be known. It is certain that they were here in past generations as well as within the same generation. I don't know the reason for the various crossings and the true relationship between the Hattons and related families. They lived for hundreds of years in what is known as the "Royal Forest of Dean" in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, however, it's clear that they spent time in Wales as well. The associated family names were Truscott, Tranter, Warlow, Trevitt, Ingram, Wallby, Davis, Davies, Miles, Greening, Lloyd, Thomas, Morgan, Vivian-Welsh Vyvyan, and others. The home of Cornelius Hatton was in Lea Bailey at Bailey Brook. Cornelius married Jemima Davis and their children were baptised in St. Michael's Church at Hope Mansell.. The church at Hope Mansell is a small but old and beautiful church and there are Hattons there to this day. The home of Cornelius and Jemima Hatton still stands in one of the most beautiful places one could imagine. I was fortunate to be able to visit the old home and walk the ground my ancestors walked. We attended church at Hope Mansell and stayed at an old Pub called the Malt Shovel were we spent hours enjoying our evening meals. The Pub was there through many generations of the Hatton family. I could feel their presence.

It was forbidden to build within the Royal Hunting Forest, but men tried. Finally, the Crown stated that one could build a dwelling in the forest and stay if he could build in within one day and have smoke flowing from the chimney by night fall. Quite and impossible task, however my ancestors somehow build such a dwelling and it still stands today within the Forest of Dean. I think one could say with certainty that all the Hattons are related. They were mostly found within five counties in what is known as the Mid-Marches, most near Wales. Cheptow Castle is not far from were my family lived and we spent some time there with Brian Morgan a giant of a Welshman who insisted on meeting us near the Castle when we arrived and showing us the area. We then stayed with he and his lovely wife Vi. Within feet of their beautiful cottage stands the remains of a Roman wall. Brian showed us through the Chepstow Castle and the village of Chepstow were we stopped a "few" times for a taste of the local brew. It was wonderful and I felt completely at home.

The Hatton home was quite livable. The stone ha been covere with a white stucco or something similar. It seems to me that the homes in England probably were were covere very much like the home in colonial America and were being renewed again as they have been here back to the old stone, removing the white plaster or stucco. There was no wated space in the typical home found in the area, no hallways or nooks. Thehouse were simply built but very nice. There is a center entrance door, to the left the kitchen, to the right the parlour or living room, with two bedrooms upstairs. Actually the rooms are of ample size. Two fireplaces on each side of the cottage serves both the downstaris and second story. In other words there are four fireplaces in the home.

Back of the home of Cornelius Hatton at Bailey Brook..

Kitchen of a Forest Home. This is almost the very same home in the " Forest of Dean" Museum. Decorated in the period.

The Foresters were primarily miners. In some cases they owned their own mine or may have had a couple with other men. There was, of course farming and the raising of sheep. There were a number of battles when sheep were first introduced into the area. Today the roam through out the area. There were also the woodsmen and the Verdeners. The Verdenersc were the "Keepers of the Forest" which was a position of reasonably authority. The Verdeners maintained a court which was called the " Speech House" and it remains today serving in various ways. One being that of an Inn. The Court is still present and one of my early ancestors was a Verdener.

The Hattons are an English family. The surname originated in England and is found almost entirely in the English speaking countries. But, as is often the case the original family, prior to the established surname, was from Normandy. In Chesshire where the name first appears as a surname the history of the Hatton family is found.  It is stated that Ivon a noble man of Normandy had six sons which came to England with William Conquerer. The sons of Ivon were Nigell Baron of Halton and Constable of Chester, Geffrey had the lands and barony of Stopford and died prole, Hubbard had the lands of Dutton, Edward had the manor of Haselwall. Horswaine had the mannor of Shrigley and Wolfath had the mannnor of Hatton by gift of his brother Nigell. William de Hatton from Wolfath and so the Hatton name was borne and it certainly makes it clear that the surname is of a place and not an occupation. The first Sir Christopher Hatton had proved his ancestry to Cheshire. Enough of that....In looking over an old obituary of a cousin of my great-grandfather it states he was a direct descendant of the English Statesman Sir John Hatton. Is it true, I don't know but the evidence seems to lean that way in many generations past...enough.

Pingry Tump and Eli Hatton 1723

I could not resist telling this story within the confines of my book, but completely out of the period as to when it happened. It is such an interesting story that could easily be made into a full lenght movie. Eli Hatton was is some manner related many generations ago and it appeared to me he had just started a family and then disappeared It was then I found the story of Eli Hatton. It was first brought to my attention by the giant Welshman Brian Morgan. He was kind enough t send me a book abount the Forest of Dean in which he found a reference to Eli Hatton. Before I begin this terible story let me say that there have been some defenders of Eli and some even recently. It seems that in the year 1723 Eli had committed a terrible murder, having killed a man by the name of Thomas Twiberville. There were no eye witnesses, except one who claimed it was Eli and she saw him carying off whatever he had taken with a sachk he had swung over his shoulder. It was a terrible murder. Thomas had been beaten with and axe. The problem is that Eli had a hunch back, or something wrong with his back that could easily be mistaken for a person carrying a sack. He never confessed and when asked by the Bishop to confess, he refused stating that he was innocent. On September 4, 1723 Eli was taken to Mitcheldean and executed and hung on chains from the gibbet on Pingry Tump. Before he died he cast a spelled upon the town which came true. For many years Eli 's Post was avoided even long after his death and especially at night. All the towns in the area only had a population of about 1500-2000 people but there were about 10,000 who came for the hanging of Eli. Eli's Post is still there.......would you want to take it down? A Gibbet was a post upon which the executed body was placed and was left to rot...

I could not resist inserting the story, in much greater detail of Eli's Post..

And, also there is Isaac Hatton the " Great Preacher" .....Quite a story

Royal Forest of Dean

In the Meantime....Please remember this is not the book, but a background. I will touch on the other families, as I have here, in due time.

The spelling above is how it appears in the old texts.