John KYRTEN

• General Notes
  • From Jonathan Kirton
    My suspicion, as I said before, is that the William Kyrton who obtained the Crown lease in 1542 of some property at Tilehurst which had formerly been church land before the Dissolution in 1538, may well have been the father of the John Kyrten mentioned below, both of whom MAY have been armigers, in which case it MAY be that the blazon was: "Argent, a fess and a chevron in base, Gules". (Source: British Library, Harleian Society MS of the Heralds' visitation to Berkshire, circa 1568, MS 1532, named as "Kyrton". Just keep this in mind, and watch for it.)
    (I am still working on tracing the original owner of this blazon, another William de Kirketon, or Kyrketon / Kyrton / Kirton, born probably at Biddenham, co. Beds. circa 1370, and died in 1428.)
    (I have another suspicion, not yet proven, that the members of this family alternated the names of their eldest sons as a progression, thus:  William, John, William, John, etc., for many years.)
    
    So I have:
    
    JOHN  KYRTEN, b. c. 1545, d. 1609 at Burghfield = ALICE  BURTON, dau. of GRIFFIN (or
                                                                                                 GRIFFITH)  BURTON of Bradfield, co.
                                                                                                 Berks., (Alice b. 1567, MUST be wrong!)
                                                                                                 (Probably should read 1547)
                                                                                                 (also a relative of William Watlow Burton)
    This couple had seven children:
    1. GRIFFIN or GRIFFITH KIRTON, born Burghfield, c. 1570. He married and had eight children.
        (in this case the name progression was broken to commemorate the wife's father's name)
    2. KATHERINE Kirton, bapt. 8 June, 1575 at Burghfield, marr. 1605 at Burghfield to WALTER
        CHILD, lived at Bassington, co. Oxfordshire. One daughter: Ann Child.
    3.JOHN  KIRTON, bapt. 21 June, 1579 at Burghfield, m. 16 July, 1608 = ELIZABETH  SYMONS
        at Burghfield. Four children.
    4.ANN  KIRTON, born 1580, married ROGER  MYNDE of London, who died before 1640; had
       one son, Roger(2) Mynde, still living in 1640. Ann wrote her will in May, 1640, when she was
       living at St. Bottolphs without Aldgate, London. It was proved in 1646. I have the whole will
       plus a full transcription of it. Since a copy of the will was found in the Barbados Archives, it is
       undoubted that some of the named recipients were living in Barbados by 1646, and this is in
       fact the case.
    5.WILLIAM  KIRTON, born c. 1585, died before 1640, married JOAN  TRENCHARD, 2 children
       one son, and one daughter, alive in 1640, but we do not know their names.
    6.JOAN  KIRTON, born and died in 1586, buried at Burghfield.
    7.MARY KIRTON, b. c. 1588, married PETER  BRIGHTWELL, who had died before 1640; s.p.
    
    The children of GRIFFIN or GRIFFITH  Kirton & his un-named wife.  (Note: Ann's will is very
    clearly spelt as Griffith, but most of the registers have Griffin):
    1.ELNOUR / ELNOR / ELLINOR KIRTON, bapt. at Burgfhfield 25 Sept., 1608= a man whose
        surname was KING, but who had died before 1647. No recorded children. Her estate admin.
    2.GRIFFIN / GRIFFITH  KIRTON, bapt. at Burghfield, 9 April, 1610; died Intestate, 1647.
    3.WILLIAM  KIRTON, bapt. at Burghfield, 23 Feb., 1611, married Four wives, in Barbados before
       1641, sat on the Island Council for 10 years from 1641 - 1651; a Judge of the Barbados Court;
        died in Barbados in 1669, aged 58; left a comprehensive will. Several children in Barbados.
    4.MARY  KIRTON, bapt. at Burghfield, 28 Dec., 1613 - ! son (possibly illegitimate?) HENRY
                                                             KIRTON, (b. 1640, d. 1735).  Mary buried at Tilehurst, co. Berks..
    5.THOMAS       KIRTON,   bapt. at Burghfield, 25 Aug., 1616. No other information. Alive in 1640.
    6.RICHARD     KIRTON,   bapt. at Burghfield, 16 July,  1620. Evidently died young. Not in will.
    7.ELIZABETH  KIRTON,   bapt. at Burghfield, 23 May,  1624. No other information. Alive in 1640.
    8.AGNES          KIRTON,   born circa 1625, no other record found, but in will, so alive in 1640.
    
    The children of JOHN  KIRTON & his wife ELIZABETH  SYMONS:
    1.THOMAS    KIRTON, born circa 1605, mentioned in Ann's will, so alive in 1640.
    2.CHARLES  KIRTON, born circa 1607, mentioned in Ann's will, so alive in 1640.
    3.JOHN          KIRTON, bapt. 25 June, 1609, mentioned in Ann's will, but went to Barbados with
       his first cousin, WILLIAM, probably before 1641, and became a planter in St. Philip's Parish;
       married (wife's name unknown) had 3 sons, & 2 daughters, died on Barbados, 1688, aged 79.
    4.DOROTHY KIRTON, born circa 1611, mentioned in Ann's will, so alive in 1640.