This is an interesting surname recorded in the spellings of Crichton, Crichten, Crighton, Cryton, and Creighton, is of Scottish and English origin. It is with all spellings locational, either from a place so called near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, or from the barony of Crichton near Edinburgh, in Scotland. The derivation of Creighton (in Staffordshire) is from the Olde Welsh pre 7th Century "creic", a rock, and "tun", a farm or settlement, thus a place built on a ridge, and it was first recorded in the Red Book of the Exchequor of 1166 as "Crectone", and in the Assize Rolls of 1222 it appears as "Creiton". However the place name in Scotland is derived from the Gaelic "crioch", a border or boundary, plus the Olde English pre 7th Century "tun", thus a farm on a boundary. The earliest recorded village spelling is "Crechtune", in circa 1145 and as "Creigchton" in 1367. Early examples of the surname recordings include Thomas de Krichton of Stirling in the year 1201, Peter de Crechtoun, the rector of Kynoule, Scotland in 1485, Richard Creighton, who married Margaret Bridd on 26th June 1568 at Trentham, Staffordshire, and Hannah Creighton, the daughter of James and Emma Creighton, christened on March 2nd 1755 at Newchapel, Staffs. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Turstan de Crectune, which was dated circa 1128, a witness of a charter of King David at Edinburgh, during the reign of King David 1st of Scotland, 1124 - 1153. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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