"General Statement of Houghton family pedigree: The de Hoghtons are of ancient lineage, descended from Harvey de Walter, one of the companions of William the Conqueror, and through the female line from the Lady Godiva of Coventry, wife of Leofric III the Great, Earl of Mercia. After the third generation from the Norman Conquest, Richard and William de Houghton first assumed the family name around 1150. The great-grandson, Sir Adam de Houghton, was knighted and died in 1290."
"Sir Richard de Houghton, Knight of the Shire in the Parliaments of 1322-27-37. Married Sybilla de Lea, direct descendant of the Lady Godiva, whose lands in Lea still form part of the Houghton Estates. Warden of the Ports, knighted by Edward III in 1336 and given permission to empark in 1327. It was from Lea Hall (his private residence) that Thomas Houghton went into exile in 1569, having re-built Houghton Tower 1560-1565." (Source: AWTP: "Thorns.." (see below)
SOURCES: LDS FHL Ancestral File #B241-2C (familysearch.org)
WEB:
"Ancestors/Descendants of Royal Lines" (Contributors: F. L. Jacquier (History of Charlemagne by Christian Settipani); L. Orlandini, Manuel Abranches de Soveral, Reynaud de Paysac, F.L. J P de Palmas (Aurejac et Tournemire; Frankish line; The Complete Peerage}, Jacquier (Genealogy of Lewis Carroll, Justin Swanstrom, The Royal Families of England Scotland & Wales by Burkes Peerage; Debrett's Peerage & Baronage; Table of descendants French Canadian Genealogical Society; Families of Monfort-sur-Risle & Bertrand de Bricquebec; The Dukes of Normandy, XXXXI), A. Brabant ("Dynastie Montmorency, Michel d'Herbigny), Paul Leportier, Claude Barret, H.R. Moser (Burke Peerage), O.Guionneau, L.B. de Rouge, E. Polti, N. Danican (Britain's Royal Families; Buthlaw, Succession of Strathclyde, the Armorial 1961-62) A.Terlinden (Genealogy of the existing British Peerage, 1842), L. Gustavsson, C. Cheneaux, E. Lodge, S. Bontron (Brian Tompsett), R. Dewkinandan, H. de la Villarmois, C. Donadello; Scevole de Livonniere, H. de la Villarmois, I. Flatmoen, P. Ract Madoux (History of Morhange; Leon Maujean; Annuaire de Lorraine, 1926; La Galissonniere: Elections d'Arques et Rouen), Jean de Villoutreys (ref: Georges Poull), E. Wilkerson-Theaux (Laura Little), O. Auffray, A. Brabant (Genealogy of Chauvigny of Blot from "Chanoine Prevost Archiviste du Diocese de Troyes Union Typographique Domois Cote-d'Or 1925), Emmanuel Arminjon (E Levi-Provencal Histoire de l'Espagne Andalouse), Y. Gazagnes-Gazanhe, R. Sekulovich and J.P. de Palmas ("notes pierfit et iconographie Insecula", Tournemire), H de Riberolles (Base Tournemire), Franck Veillon........... http://geneastar.org.
AWTP:
"Neuman-Smith-Goodale Family and Ancestors" Michael R. Neuman michaelneuman@@earthlink.net
"Thorns among the roses" Holly Forrest Tamer holly_tamer@@yahoo.com (who cites: "Complete Peerage of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom" by G.E. Cokayne, Sutton Publishing Ltd, 2000 and "Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, 7th Edition, by Frederick Lewis Weis, additions by Walter Lee Shippard Jr., 1999, among other great sources).
"The Ancestry of Overmire Tifft Richardson Bradford Reed" Larry Overmire larryover@@worldnet.att.net
Richard De+ Houghton 
Sibyll De+ Houghton