Alliston is an English surname, found mainly in North Essex and South West Suffolk.[1] Variations include Liston and Alston, which can also be traced to the same area, as well as finding origins in other locations, as well as Elliston, Allaston, and Ellystone.
The surname can be traced to the village of Liston, which appears in the Domesday book, through the family that took the name in the late 12th century.
Early origins
The earliest mention of the surname is the Liston variant; a Roger De Liston was a witness to a gift by Richard, Bishop of St Andrews, Scotland, in 1165. Liston was a village in Essex near Sudbury.[2]
William I granted one manor in Liston to Talbot (held from Gurnai) and another to Ilbod, brother of Ernulf de Hesdin. The surname also occurs in England, when in 1185, Avicia De Lyston, widow of Godfrey the Chamberlain and daughter of Robert De Lyston, with a son who was of age, was bound as its holder facere canestellas ad summonicionem ad festum regis. This meant they made the wafers at the King's coronation. The son was John De Lyston from whom the surname arose. Robert De Lyston was likely the son of Geoffrey Talbot who held Liston at the time of the Domesday. His brother would have been Geoffrey Talbot, who was involved in the rebellion against King Stephen.[3] Their mother was Agnes, who David Crouch states was a member of the De Lacy family. This would also make them related to Ilbod, brother of Arnulf De Hesdin, as he too was married to a De Lacy.[4] This could explain how Avicia was holding both manors of Liston by 1185. However Katharine Keats-Rohan states that Agnes was probably the daughter of Helto Dapifer,[5] in which case there would be a different inheritance route.
A Godfrey the Chamberlain can also be found in Scotland.[6]
The earliest mention of the surname Alliston in Suffolk is a Feet of Fines record in 1224 when John, son of Adam de Alliston, sold land at Stansfield Suffolk.[7]
Stanfeld is a small village just north of Sudbury and Liston. In the time of Richard I, there was also a Feet of Fines record: 23 William son of Agnes v. Geoffrey son of Godfrey in Stanefeld. This is Geoffrey, son of Godfrey, buying land in Stanfeld. It is possible that the Godfrey mentioned is the same Godfrey husband of Avicia, Adam de Alliston (a Liston) could well be another son; Avicia's sons would then be John, Adam and Geoffrey.
Essex Listons
A Godfrey De Liston also held Liston in 1226. He, too, was bound to make the wafers for the King's coronation. Another of his lands was Witham, another manor granted to the Ilbod mentioned earlier, so there seems to be some consistency in land holdings from the Domesday. He is probably the Godfrey De Liston who was Bailiff of Cookham, Berkshire.[8] A Godfrey De Liston was also warden of nearby Windsor Forest in the time of Henry III.[9] Godfrey is mentioned a few times in relation to Windsor Castle in the time of Henry III.[10]
Also around 1270, in Long Melford, Suffolk, not far from Liston, lived Nigel De Liston. He had a son, Thomas, who was married to Alice; their sons were John and Simon. Thomas was a clerk to Sir William De Valence, Earl of Pembroke.[11]
Godfrey died in 1267 and had a son, John De Liston, who died in 1332.[12]
In 1296 John De Liston was ordered to do military service for the defence of the sea coast for holding lands in Essex. He was unfit for service.[13]
In 1335, there was a surviving charter from Eleanor De Liston, wife of John De Liston, for Richard and Ellen de Strelleye.[14]
She had remarried, so John must have died a few years earlier. They had a son, John, who was 22 at the time of her charter. He died in 1349, leaving a son named John born in 1337. He died in 1359, having no issue and the property went to William De Liston, his uncle who was over 30. This William had a son Thomas who was born in 1341.
A John and Thomas De Liston both fought in the 100-year war against France, fighting alongside John Hawkwood (probably related), William Bohun, and De Vere. This included Crecy in 1346.[15]
Surname development
In Essex the family names seem to have two variants emerging and other family surnames may be merging.
A William Alston is on record as having lived at Stistead not far from Hedingham in the time of Edward I (1272-1307),[16][17] when "William Alston of Stisted in Essex, for want of warranty of Burkscraft in Stisted did grant or confirm to John de Carpenter of Naylinghurst, so much of the better land in Stisted except his mansion house there". In the time of Edward III, Hugh Alston bore for arms, azure ten stars or four, three, two and one, which was long before coat armour was granted by patent: Henry and Robert Alston also mentioned in the Botule (?) Hundredorum as having land at Fulbourn Cambridgeshire.[18]
The will of Thomas Alston, 30 August 1469, mentions his brother William, and also a John Alston, whose relationship is not stated.[19]
There was also a well-documented dispute between Sir Robert Wingfield and a John Liston in 1440 when John Lyston successfully sued Sir Robert Wingfield for 700 marks. Sir Robert was Steward for Thomas Mowbray Duke of Norfolk and their response was to have John Lyston outlawed.[20] William De la Pole first Earl of Suffolk thought this heavy handed and seems to have had a part in getting the Duke of Norfolk and Sir Robert Wingfield arrested.[21] William De Le Pole was husband of Alice Chaucer, grand-daughter of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, a friend of John Hawkwood and John Liston mentioned above.[15]
John Lyston seems to have a brother named Robert who is mentioned in feet of fines at this time, and some sources name Robert in the dispute.[22] Robert's wife was Isabel who died in 1491.[23]
John De Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, left a William Eliston 40 shillings in his will.[24]
Lawrence Elliston, his grandson, was mentioned in the will of the 15th and 16th Earls. William Elliston was mentioned in the will of the 13th Earl of Oxford. They were 40 shilling yeomen being paid 40 shillings on the death of their feudal lord.[24] Lawrence was the last to be in a feudal relationship with the De Veres. He was granted land in Cornwall for use during his stay.[25]
There is also a mention of a Hugh Austyn or Allstyn mentioned in the medieval soldiers database in 1415, as a soldier with Richard De Vere 11th Earl of Oxford.[26] He would have fought at Agincourt.
Another early branch of the family seem to have moved to Scotland early on, where they established themselves near Edinburgh.
The Scottish Liston seems to be traceable to William Liston in the 1500s, and to have connections to both the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller. Temple Liston near Edinburgh may be connected to them.[2]
There is also a Liston variant in Ireland where it is said a Liston accompanied Henry II during the period following the death of Thomas Becket.
Another migration to Scotland seems to have happened in Scotland in the 14th century when Hugh Alston ending up fighting for Robert De Bruce.[27]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of the Scottish family are the same as those for the Suffolk Alston branch, and also the arms found on Eleanor de Lyston's charter for Richard and Ellen de Strelleye in 1335, which shows her seal. It is apparent her coat of arms is the same as the Alston family.[14] It is given as Azure, ten stars of six points, four, three, two, one, or.
A variant can also be found in a coat of arms of the Drewery family.[28] Here it has been modified, losing the top row and relates to the Liston family. The stars are replaced with five-petal daisies. The church at the village of Liston contains a 12th-century Romanesque feature above a bricked up door on the north wall.[29] At each end is a daisy.
The Elliston branch seems to have acquired a new coat of arms about the time of the battle of Bosworth (13th Earl of Oxford). They started using the arms of Maur De Eylston, who is mentioned on the Collins Roll of Edward I in the 1290s. The Ellistons and Eylstones do not appear to be related but the Eylstone variant is rare so the original holders may have died out.
In the Collins Roll I 'Erdeswickes version' (lost original from circa 1295), the Arms of Mane de Eglestone are given as Per pale Gules and Vert an Eagle displayed Argentin ?. In Collins Roll II 'Dethick's version' (lost original, 15th-century additions to above only), the Arms of Malg' de Eyleston are again given as Per Pale Gules and vert an Eagle displayed Argent. Similar blazons are given in several visitations of Essex, and a similar arms appears in the church at Gestingthorpe, Essex, on the memorial to John Elliston.
Memorial To John Elliston in St Marys, Gestingthorpe, Essex
Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new creation. The most well-known Earls of Essex were Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII, Sir William Parr (1513-1571) who was brother to Queen Catherine Parr who was the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1565–1601), a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I who led Essex's Rebellion in 1601.
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. The de Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of Master Chamberlain of England from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625. Their primary seat was Hedingham Castle in Essex, but they held lands in southern England and the Midlands, particularly in eastern England. The actual earldom was called "Oxenford" until at least the end of the 17th century. Medieval sources thus refer to "my lord of Oxenford" when speaking of the earl.
Earl of Suffolk is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. The first creation, in tandem with the creation of the title of Earl of Norfolk, came before 1069 in favour of Ralph the Staller; but the title was forfeited by his heir, Ralph de Guader, in 1074. The second creation came in 1337 in favour of Robert de Ufford; the title became extinct on the death of his son, the second Earl, in 1382. The third creation came in 1385 in favour of Michael de la Pole. The fourth creation was in 1603 for Lord Thomas Howard, the second son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, by his second wife Margaret Audley, the daughter and eventual sole heiress of Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden, of Audley End in the parish of Saffron Walden in Essex. Howard was a prominent naval commander and politician and served as Earl Marshal, as Lord Chamberlain of the Household and as Lord High Treasurer. In 1597 he was summoned to Parliament as Baron Howard de Walden, and in 1603 he was further honoured, at the start of the reign of King James I, when he was created Earl of Suffolk. His second son the Hon. Thomas Howard was created Earl of Berkshire in 1626.
The Howard family is an English noble family founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson of the 1st Duke of the first creation. The Howards have been part of the peerage since the 15th century and remain both the Premier Dukes and Earls of the Realm in the Peerage of England, acting as Earl Marshal of England. After the English Reformation, many Howards remained steadfast in their Catholic faith as the most high-profile recusant family; two members, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, and William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, are regarded as martyrs: a saint and a blessed respectively.
Richard de Lucy, Luci, Lucie, or Lusti, also known as Richard the Loyal, was first noted as High Sheriff of Essex, after which he was made Chief Justiciar of England.
Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford, feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, and lord of Tonbridge in Kent and of Cardigan in Wales, was a powerful Anglo-Norman nobleman with vast landholdings in England and Wales.
Aubrey de Vere – also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver" and "Albericus regis camerarius" – was the second of that name in England after the Norman Conquest, being the eldest surviving son of Aubrey de Vere and his wife Beatrice.
The House of Burgh or Burke was an ancient Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman aristocratic dynasty which played a prominent role in the Norman invasion of Ireland, held the earldoms of Kent, Ulster, Clanricarde, and Mayo at various times, and provided queens consort of Scotland and Thomond and Kings of England via a matrilineal line.
Sir John Tyrrell, of Heron in the Essex parish of East Horndon, was an English landowner, lawyer, administrator, and politician who was chosen three times as Speaker of the House of Commons.
Liston is a small village and civil parish in North Essex, England, located one mile WSW of Long Melford, on the banks of the River Stour. Its parish church dates back to the 12th century, in parts. The parish borders the River Stour, the boundary between Essex and Suffolk. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Foxearth.
Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford was an English noble involved in the succession conflict between King Stephen and Empress Matilda in the mid-twelfth century.
William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, was an English knight created by King Henry V 1st Count of Eu, in Normandy.
Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex was a noblewoman in England in the Anglo-Norman and Angevin periods. Married twice, she and her second husband founded the Gilbertine monastery of Chicksands in Bedfordshire.
Robert Ufford, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG was an English peer. He was created Earl of Suffolk in 1337.
Alston is an English language surname with several derivations, and a male given name.
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford who succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue.
Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex and 4th Earl of Gloucester was an English peer. He was an opponent of King John and one of the sureties of the Magna Carta.
Robert Bourchier, 1st Baron Bourchier was Lord Chancellor of England from 1340 to 1341, the first layman to hold the post.
Sir John Howard, of Wiggenhall and East Winch, in Norfolk, England, was a landowner, soldier, courtier, administrator and politician. His grandson was John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, the great-grandfather of two queens, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, two of the six wives of King Henry VIII.
The House of de Vere was an old and powerful English aristocratic family who derived their name from Ver, in Lower Normandy, France.
References
↑ Dijk, JT van. "GBNames". gbnames.publicprofiler.org.
1 2 McCall, Hardy Bertram (1884). Memoirs of my ancestors; a collection of genealogical memoranda respecting several old Scottish families. Privately printed by Watson & Ball.
↑ King S Sergeants and Officers Cb: Kings & Sergeants. J. Horace Round
↑ Windsor Castle: An Architectural History, Collected and written by Command of Their Majesties Queen Victoria King Edward VII. & King George V. W. H. St. John Hope Litt.D., D.C.L.
↑ The Manors of Suffolk, Their History and Devolution, The Hundreds of Babergh and Blackbourn, W. A. Copinger, M.A., LL.D., F.S.A., F.R.S.A., T. Fisher Unwin, 1905
↑ The history and topography of ... Essex. Thomas Wright
↑ The Parliament Writs and Writs of Military Summons
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