Broughton (surname)

Broughton (pronounced Brottun) (or, alternatively and largely in New England, Broton) has two claimed origins as a name.

According to M. Leon Broughton, author of "Broughton Memoirs" (Copyright 1962, Second Edition):

"The name Broughton is often derived from the Saxon “Broc”, which means brook or broken land; and “Tun”, the dwelling or town. In King Ethelred’s charter to the monastery of Shaftesbury, England, 1001 AD, Elfwig’s boundaries at Broctun are mentioned.  The Domesday Book of William the Conqueror, 1086 AD, describes thirty-four manors of Broctun, variously Latinized by the clerks of the records to: Brochthon, Brocton, Brotton, Broton, Brogton, and Broughton, perhaps according to the pronunciation peculiar to the localities where the manors where situated.

Later the spelling of Broughton seems to have generally been adopted. There are about twenty distinct parishes besides hamlets and different localities in England that bear the name; and it is locally applied to a small parish in Canada, to an island in the Alatamaha river in Georgia, and also occurs in the states of South Carolina, Texas, and some of the New England states. The Broughtons are now widespread throughout the United States, and the world."

Broughton may also come from an Old English word meaning 'stronghold'. It is also likely to be derived from “berg” (a hill), and “ton” (a town), both Saxon words.

This is the case in Lincolnshire, England. At this Broughton, the mound is near the west end of the village and may have been the site of a Roman station Pretorium from about 400 AD. Many Roman coins, bricks, tiles and other artifacts have been found in the area. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the name appears as Bertone. ["A Dictionary of English Place-Names," A. D. Mills, Oxford University Press, 1991]

People
Broughton is the surname (or family name) of many notable people:
 * Andrew Broughton (1602/3 – 1687), English jurist
 * Alan Broughton (born 1936), American poet
 * Alfred Broughton (1902–1979), British politician
 * Bruce Broughton (born 1945), American composer
 * David Thomas Broughton, English folk & experimental musician
 * Drewe Broughton (born 1978), English footballer
 * Greg Broughton (born 1986), Australian Rules Footballer
 * Hugh Broughton (1549–1612), English scholar and theologian
 * Irving Broughton, American publisher, writer, filmmaker and teacher
 * Jack Broughton (1703–1789), English bare-knuckle fighter
 * Jack Broughton (RAF officer), British Royal Air Force officer
 * James Broughton (1913–1999), American poet, and poetic filmmaker
 * Jodie Broughton (born 1988), English rugby player
 * John Broughton, Australian astronomer
 * Joseph Melville Broughton (1888–1949), governor of North Carolina
 * Len G. Broughton (1865–1936), American evangelical and author
 * Luther Broughton (born 1974), American football player
 * Matt Broughton (born 1971) English professional poker player
 * Mel Broughton, British animal rights activist
 * Nehemiah Broughton (born 1982), American football player
 * Peter Broughton (born 1935), English cricketer
 * Rhoda Broughton (1840–1920), Welsh novelist
 * Richard Broughton (priest) (c. 1558–1634), English Catholic priest and antiquarian
 * Richard Broughton (MP) (1524–1604), English politician
 * Rob Broughton (born 1983), English mixed martial arts fighter
 * Robert Broughton (born 1950), Canadian computer programmer and activist
 * Robert Broughton (cricketer) (1816–1911), English cricketer
 * Robyn Broughton, New Zealand netball coach
 * Roger Broughton, Canadian comic book publisher
 * Roger Broughton (cricketer) (1958–2004), New Zealand cricketer
 * Spence Broughton (c1746–1792), English highwayman
 * T.R.S. Broughton (1900–1993), Canadian classical scholar
 * Urban H. Broughton (1857–1929), English engineer, railroad executive and politician
 * William R. Broughton, 18th century British naval officer
 * Bishop William Broughton (1788–1853), Australian religious leader
 * Willie Broughton (born 1964), American football player

Peerage
It is also used as part of the title of some British Peers and baronets.


 * Baron Marks of Broughton
 * Baron Broughton
 * Broughton baronets

Origins
The surname Broughton is often associated with the landed gentry of those Broughtons in Cheshire and Buckinghamshire.

From the book, Broughton Memoirs (Copyright 1962, Second Edition), author M. Leon Broughton writes:

"With few exceptions, all the families that have borne the name in England are traced to the counties of Chester and Buckingham. In the County of Chester, the Broughtons descend in the male line from Hugh de Vernon, baron of Shipbroke at the time of the Norman conquest of England, whose son, Richard de Vernon was father of Adam de Napton, county of Warwick, whose issue assumed their local name from Broughton in Staffordshire.

In the county of Buckingham, at the time of the Domesday survey (1086), the principal manor of Broughton was held by Walter Giffard, Earl of Buckingham, and cousin of (William) the Conqueror. His sub-feudatory was his brother - supposed to have been a junior branch of the same family - who took his name from the place before the year 1200. The name Broughton continued to be prominent among the knights and sheriffs of England for three or four centuries."

Later in the book, M. Leon Broughton writes that "the Broughton family motto is spes vitae melieris: "The hope for a better life.""