Story contributed by Irene Scannell (Paynter).

Irene is a decendant of Augustine and Waldef (see the ‘Davies Mort’ tree in the mortfamily.net genealogy section name 11084).

The name Heaton didn't come into being until much further down the centuries. Being first de Heton, then Heton and finally Heaton.

Waldef had four children;
Augustine (born about 1190 in Heaton under Horwich).
Also William, Adam and a daughter who married Norman de Redman. They had a son named Henry de Redman.
Waldef is also believed to have had at least two brothers Ferdinando and Adam.

Adam is said to be the founder of the Heatons branch, (now known as Kirkheaton in Yorkshire), whose descendants owned Oldsnap and later Ponden Hall. This is where at least 9 generations of ‘Roger Heatons’ resided. Other Yorkshire Heatons lived in Haworth and Keighley among other places there.

Waldefs father was named Orm and his wife was Etheldritha. Orms father was called Gamel and Gamels father was Eilif. Eilifs wife was Ragnhild.

Eilifs' father was called Ulf and Ulfs' father was Rognvald who was married to Ingibjorg. Rognvald was the son of Skogul Toste who was the son of Rane. These details are going back to around c930/940.

The family are believed to be Scandinavian in origin (though this hasn't yet been proved), with lands being granted in Lancashire and Yorkshire when Eilif arrived in England in 1016, by the then king, whose intention was probably to replace the Saxon overlords with Normans, during the Norman Conquest.

I also have info on the Ravenhurst branch of the Heaton family if this is of any interest to your Mortfamily.net members.

IRENE’S CONNECTION TO THE MORT FAMILY
Henry Mort c1613s daughter Ellena married William Greene.Their daughter Margaret/Martha married Lamberti or Lambertus Heaton.They had 11 children. One of their Lambert children (they had 2 one who died within a year of birth) was the parent of my g + grandfather Nando Heaton. I have only managed to get as far back as Henry 1613 and couldnt find anything else out about Henry Mort re wife siblings etc. In my tree I have just put them as coming from the Bolton area although I'm sure it's probably the area known as Hulton.

EDITORS NOTES:
Irrespective of whether Waldef was a Scandavian / Norman Baron or a Saxon Theign from Ulverston, this research makes compelling reading for anyone interested in very very old Lancashire families and the links we all have to one another.

The name Heaton is one well-known in the Bolton, Manchester area,not only because there is a district of that name, but also because hundreds of people in south Lancashire have the name or are related in some way to the family.

Over the past 100 years, a number of people have researched the family history, and now these details have been brought right up to date by Edmund R. Heaton who lives in Aberystwyth. His book: ‘Heatons of Deane; The varying fortunes of a Lancashire family over 850 years’, can purchased directly from Mr Heaton at Berllan Ber, Abermagwr, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 4AR.

For more information on the Heaton family via the web follow these links:
http://www.heaton.celtic.co.uk/deane/
http://www.heatonfamily.co.uk/

* As a matter of interest, Emily Bronte stayed at Ponden Hall and in her book ‘Wuthering heights’ the Hall was portrayed as Thrushcross Range.