Map of England showing where the Buckton arms are recorded
The Buckton arms were recorded in Suffolk, c. 1569.
Suffolk was wool country, and its cloth towns were among the wealthiest in England. Clothier families bought manors with their profits, and holding a manor was the ordinary route to a coat of arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
Elizabeth I of England
Sovereign of the period
Elizabeth I of England
1558–1603
Reigning in England when the Buckton arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Suffolk.
Origin & History of the Buckton Family in England
The family name Buckton is a locative surname, meaning it was originally derived from a specific place name rather than a trade or personal characteristic. It is widely believed that the name refers to a "tun," or settlement, belonging to a person named Bucca. By the time the family was firmly established in the county of Suffolk in 1569, they were part of a society transitioning through the Elizabethan era. During this period, families often lived in small agricultural communities where the name served as a way to identify individuals by their ancestral home. As the family grew, they became deeply integrated into the local parish systems, which recorded their births, marriages, and deaths in official registers. These early Bucktons were likely farmers or tradespeople who helped shape the rural landscape of East Anglia during a time of significant social and economic change in England.
Buckton Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Bucca and tun
Old English personal name Bucca and the word for an enclosure.
This name
BucktonRefers to a settlement or farmstead belonging to a person named Bucca.
also spelled
Bucktoun
Bukton
Related arms
Bucketonvariant spelling
Buketon, or Bucktonvariant spelling
Burktonrecorded with Buckton, same area
Cankrienrecorded with Buckton, same area
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Reaney, P.H., A Dictionary of English Surnames, 1958
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
cantonA mark of honour granted by the sovereign
