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Whether our ancestors came from France or England, there is no doubt that families by our name have existed in the latter country from a very early period.  "In 1272, I find Thomas de Honton and William de Hunton;  in 1327, Petro de Hunton." The Hintons of America following account of their origin: "The family was originally of Flemish stock. Peter Hunton came to England as a retainer in the of Philippa, daughter of William III.,  Earl of Hainault in Flanders, who married Edward III. of England.  This Hunton settled at near Portsmouth in Hampshire.  Nothing further is known of them, until Queen Elizabeth, in consideration of a loan of money to carry out some project against France, granted to William Hinton, a London merchant, and a descendant of old Peter Hunton, the following arms," &c. In 1349, we find Robert de Hunton, son Thomas, and grandson Roger.  In 1359, Adam de Honton, LL.D., was rector of Croydon. In 1470, Thomas Hunton succeeded Robert Westgate as head of the convent and prior of the monastery of Winchester, and governed until 1498. "Anthony Hunton, an English author, matriculated at Christ College, Cambridge 1575, M.L., 1589, author of Latin verses," &c. In 1620, Dr. Anthony Hunton, possibly the same person, "paid £25 to Sir Samuel Smith about the time of the settlement of Virginia."  Buried in the church at Towse-with-Newton, Hannah, the dearly beloved wife of John Hunton, Dec. 9, 1707; her husband, "Johannes Hunton, generosus, died May 28, 1714."  In 1675, Thomas Hunton was sworn mayor of Salisbury, England.

The Wiltshire Huntons. —The registry of the parish of East Knoyle in Wiltshire dates from 1438. The first name that occurs is Brethers, 1439 ; next follows that of Hunton, which is continued in the parish register to the year 1636. The names Collingsborough and Hunton

almost completely fill the register from 1543 to 1589. Richard Hunton had a lease of Knoyle in 1533.  William Hunton, son of this Richard, by will, 1581, gives to William Huntonne his son, "my best goblet and my ring of gold.’ I have quite an account of this family.

The Hampshire Huntons — The reader will notice the wonderful similarity of Christian names in the Hampshire branch with that of our immigrant ancestor and his children. Philip, living in 1610, had sons (1) Philip, (2) John.  Philip lived at Andover, in Hampshire, m. Eliza- beth, had (3) Jonathan and (4) Philip.  (2) John, of Winchester, County Southampton, will proved 1618 by Philip his brother, had Austin, John, Elizabeth.  (3) Jonathan, of Andover, by will proved 1659, gives "to my son Phillipp and my two daughters Elizabeth and Mary," "to pay to my son Phillipp his portion at the age of twenty-two years ;" and "I charge my son and daughters to be dutiful and obedient to their grandmother  ... and if either of them prove stubborn and disobedient, that with the consent of my overseers, she have power to give their por tion unto the other of them that are more dutiful." The children of Jonathan were Jonathan, living in 1683, Philip, Elizabeth, Mary. (4) Philip was horn in Andover, in Hampshire, about 1598; entered Wadham College, 1622; A.B. 1626; AM. 1629. "Entering the sacred function, he became successively schoolmaster of Aburie in Wiltshire, perpetual curate of Heytesbury (1630-1639) and of Westbury.  He was also prebend of Tytherington. In 1654, he was appointed an assistant to the commissioner of Wilts for the ejecting of such whom the Presbyterians, Independents, and other fractious people called scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers. In 1657, he was appointed first provost of the New College at Durham erected by Oliver Cromwell. He had also in the North the rich living of Sedgefield, in the bishopric of Durham. He had upwards of £200 assigned him, which he lost upon the return of the old incumbent, Dr. Nailor, in 1660. His writings were ‘A Treatise of Monarchy,’ London, 1643, answered by Dr. Ferne and Sir Robert Filmer, London, 1644. He also wrote ‘A Vindication of Monarchy', 1644. This was reprinted when the press was open in 1680. The principles announced in this book were condemned by a decree of the University of Oxford, 1683, and, the book itself burnt in the quadrangle. This decree and judgment of the University was as publicly burnt in the New Palace Yard by order of the House of Lords, March 27, 1710, as contrary to the constitution of the kingdom and destructive to the Protestant succession. When the Prince of Orange came into England, it was again printed in London,

1689.  He wrote a book called 'Jus Regis', London, 1645. I can say no more of the author than he was a man of the parts.   Nicholson says of him (1714, p. 183)  'I think we ought to take some notice of those who have ventured to treat upon the rights of Our monarchs and the extent and amplitude of their power. Philip Hunton, a non-conformist minister published the most learned treatise on monarchy of any of the writers of his party." In answer to this, Sir Robert Filmer published his "Anarchy of a Limited and Mixed Monarchy."  Itis likely that Hunton  had met with some more early antagonist, since before the appearance of Sir Robert’s book, he printed a vindication of monarchy, e&.

After the college was dissolved at Durham, Philip Hunton retired to Westbury.  In 1662 he was ejected from his living for his nonconformity.  He held afterwards conventicles, notwithstanding.  He married Anne, a widow with a good jointure, some years before his death, which July 1, 1682. He was buried in the church at Westbury.

John Hunton of Kerlington County, York, will proved June 30, 1657.

There are Huntons in Cambridgeshire. The name is common in English directories to-day, and I saw in an ancient churchyard in London the name Robert Hunton on a gravestone. The historian of the county of Cheshire speaks of the Hintons, yet the manuscript of the visitation of Cheshire in the British Museum reads Hunton.

The Untons of Berkshire often were called Hunton, likewise the Untons of Sculthorpe in Norfolk.