This is a variant locational name which derives from the Anglo-Saxon pre 8th Century "tun" meaning a farm and "Glaes" a river, and is now found in the modern village spelling of Gleaston in Lancashire. The village name appears as Glassertun in the 1086 Domesday Book and later in the 1269 Lancashire Assize Rolls as "Gleseton". The surname recordings include a variety of "linked" spellings such as Gleaston, Cornelius Gleaston being recorded at Liverpool in 1767 whilst James Gleaton married Margaret Hampson at Leigh on October 31st 1830. In any spelling this is an extremely rare name, not appearing in the London Street Directory or Church Rolls at all, the present spelling not being found before 1837 and the commencement of national records. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jane Gleaton, which was dated July 18th 1618, (marriage to Nicholas Hill at Manchester by Civil Licence), during the reign of King James 1 of England and V1 of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. 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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