A Rambler's Tale of Discovery
I've often thought that the lot of a genealogist is not dissimilar to that of a wartime soldier, long periods of tedium interrupted by occasional moments of excitement and a recent short break away in Kent provided some confirmation of that. The genealogy bit that is, not the fighting bit.
Having been bought birthday presents of National Trust membership by one of our children, who struggles annually to think of something and presumably felt we needed to get out more, we visited (free!) Scotney Castle https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scotney-castle which is a remarkably romantic ruin with a lily pond moat set in green rolling countryside. Inside one of the rooms is a small second-hand book stall and in that room were about 30 bound copies of the reports of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Beautiful hardback books covering middle and late 19th century Society reports. Being a Scot I dived into them searching for an article on an ancient hut circle I had found in the Highlands as a child (don't ask, long story). I felt sure the Society of Antiquaries must have found it and written a piece on it. Unfortunately there were no indices so the only alternative to camping out for a day searching each one was to buy the lot at a pound apiece. Unfortunately, being a Scot and having lived in Yorkshire for some years the thought of spending the money gave me food for thought. The distance, uphill, to the car park and the total weight of the books finished off the resolve on what may or may not have produced a result.
All the way home after the break I felt sure I'd missed an opportunity so imagine my delight when I discovered that on their website https://www.socantscot.org/ under "Publications" then "full backlist of volumes" was every annual collection of reports, from 1851, for free, save the two most recent. Only 143 article packed volumes to search through.
After the requisite period of tedium my moment of excitement arrived, not in the finding of a hut circle but in an article on "Ancient Irish Castles compared with Scottish Types" volume 43, 1908-9, page 43. Now when the original Dalton, Walter, arrived in Ireland he had to build a castle in order to hold his territory. Subsequent castles were built by the Daltons and it was that which prompted me to read the very interesting article. How were they constructed, what did they look like, for how long were they built? It was in that article (can you tell I was often getting sidetracked?) that I discovered the description of Trim Castle, County Meath, Ireland and the quote " Hugh de Lacy... then held Meath (and) erected the earlier part of this castle, upon what had been an ancient mote, in 1173". Hugh de Lacy was the feudal overlord of Walter Dalton/d'Autun so I was not only learning about Irish defensive towers but also realising a Dalton connection with what is probably the best extant medieval castle in Ireland.
After that piece of excitement I continued to ramble on through the remaining volumes with several interesting detours and marked-to-be-read-in-the-future articles but my hut circle was not there. Tedium returned but I was pleased not to have spent that money, being a Scot and all.
Anyone else got a story to tell about an accidental find?
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date August 2017
© Mike Dalton
I've often thought that the lot of a genealogist is not dissimilar to that of a wartime soldier, long periods of tedium interrupted by occasional moments of excitement and a recent short break away in Kent provided some confirmation of that. The genealogy bit that is, not the fighting bit.
Having been bought birthday presents of National Trust membership by one of our children, who struggles annually to think of something and presumably felt we needed to get out more, we visited (free!) Scotney Castle https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scotney-castle which is a remarkably romantic ruin with a lily pond moat set in green rolling countryside. Inside one of the rooms is a small second-hand book stall and in that room were about 30 bound copies of the reports of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Beautiful hardback books covering middle and late 19th century Society reports. Being a Scot I dived into them searching for an article on an ancient hut circle I had found in the Highlands as a child (don't ask, long story). I felt sure the Society of Antiquaries must have found it and written a piece on it. Unfortunately there were no indices so the only alternative to camping out for a day searching each one was to buy the lot at a pound apiece. Unfortunately, being a Scot and having lived in Yorkshire for some years the thought of spending the money gave me food for thought. The distance, uphill, to the car park and the total weight of the books finished off the resolve on what may or may not have produced a result.
All the way home after the break I felt sure I'd missed an opportunity so imagine my delight when I discovered that on their website https://www.socantscot.org/ under "Publications" then "full backlist of volumes" was every annual collection of reports, from 1851, for free, save the two most recent. Only 143 article packed volumes to search through.
After the requisite period of tedium my moment of excitement arrived, not in the finding of a hut circle but in an article on "Ancient Irish Castles compared with Scottish Types" volume 43, 1908-9, page 43. Now when the original Dalton, Walter, arrived in Ireland he had to build a castle in order to hold his territory. Subsequent castles were built by the Daltons and it was that which prompted me to read the very interesting article. How were they constructed, what did they look like, for how long were they built? It was in that article (can you tell I was often getting sidetracked?) that I discovered the description of Trim Castle, County Meath, Ireland and the quote " Hugh de Lacy... then held Meath (and) erected the earlier part of this castle, upon what had been an ancient mote, in 1173". Hugh de Lacy was the feudal overlord of Walter Dalton/d'Autun so I was not only learning about Irish defensive towers but also realising a Dalton connection with what is probably the best extant medieval castle in Ireland.
After that piece of excitement I continued to ramble on through the remaining volumes with several interesting detours and marked-to-be-read-in-the-future articles but my hut circle was not there. Tedium returned but I was pleased not to have spent that money, being a Scot and all.
Anyone else got a story to tell about an accidental find?
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date August 2017
© Mike Dalton

MORE MEDIEVAL MUSINGS, de Lacy and Dalton
Our previous article "Princess Found?" generated a great deal of interest and comment and one of those comments, by Cathy Dalton, prompted me to do some more research.
Cathy had been told that the Daltons in the 12th c. were Marcher Lords in the borderlands between England and Wales and also that they arrived in Ireland with Richard de Clare, known as "Strongbow" (aside: he wasn't known as that but that's another story). Cathy's comment that she thought she had found out about the Dalton Marcher Lords on the DGS website rang a distant bell. Karen D'Alton found the page we were looking for: http://www.daltondatabank.org/Chronicles/RDaltonBook/Chapter_2_History.html and there it is: "This is the story of Sir Walter de D'Aliton, thought to be one of the Marcher Lords of Wales. Dalton researchers tell us he was with the Earl of Strongbow when he invaded Ireland" John O'Hart. Unfortunately..... that webpage is an amalgamation of many bits of Dalton lore and much of it is quite old now and more recent research has shown some of its details to be incorrect.
We know Walter Dalton gained his lands in Westmeath, north west of Dublin, from Henry II's man Hugh de Lacy, not from Strongbow south of Dublin, a man Henry disliked. We also know that John O'Hart has had much of his writing discredited but it does clear up the source of the misunderstanding.
All this made me think about the relationships between the king, de Lacy and Dalton. Under the feudal system the king would grant lands to his senior men who in turn would grant land to their subordinates in rank. Researching the de Lacys proved very informative. Ilbert and Walter de Lacy arrived in England with William the Conqueror. Ilbert was a major participant in William's "harrying of the North", 1069-70, and was rewarded with large land grants there. Walter de Lacy was granted lands on the Welsh borders and thus became a Marcher Lord. Both men obviously in good favour with King WIlliam. It was Walter de Lacy's descendant, Hugh de Lacy, who had Walter Dalton in his retinue and it was Hugh who granted Walter land in Westmeath, if he could hold it. Hugh was very close to the king and when Henry left Ireland he put Hugh de Lacy in charge. This, in effect, shows Walter Dalton to be an individual trusted by de Lacy and King Henry and supports the thought that Walter's arrival was as a result of the influence of Renaud de Courtenay in the matter of a marriage between Walter and a French royal princess.
Strongbow, Richard de Clare, was also a Welsh Marcher Lord and I'm sure it is the presence of two Marcher Lords that has led to the confusions in the older account by John O'Hart.
As an extra piece of interest I discovered that Trim Castle, according to the Scottish Society of Antiquaries in 1908, is the best example in Ireland of a Norman fortress. It was a de Lacy castle.
I would like to thank Cathy Dalton for prompting the research which has shown the strong connections between Walter Dalton, Hugh de Lacy and King Henry II. Another piece of the jigsaw added.
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date July 2017
© Mike Dalton
Our previous article "Princess Found?" generated a great deal of interest and comment and one of those comments, by Cathy Dalton, prompted me to do some more research.
Cathy had been told that the Daltons in the 12th c. were Marcher Lords in the borderlands between England and Wales and also that they arrived in Ireland with Richard de Clare, known as "Strongbow" (aside: he wasn't known as that but that's another story). Cathy's comment that she thought she had found out about the Dalton Marcher Lords on the DGS website rang a distant bell. Karen D'Alton found the page we were looking for: http://www.daltondatabank.org/Chronicles/RDaltonBook/Chapter_2_History.html and there it is: "This is the story of Sir Walter de D'Aliton, thought to be one of the Marcher Lords of Wales. Dalton researchers tell us he was with the Earl of Strongbow when he invaded Ireland" John O'Hart. Unfortunately..... that webpage is an amalgamation of many bits of Dalton lore and much of it is quite old now and more recent research has shown some of its details to be incorrect.
We know Walter Dalton gained his lands in Westmeath, north west of Dublin, from Henry II's man Hugh de Lacy, not from Strongbow south of Dublin, a man Henry disliked. We also know that John O'Hart has had much of his writing discredited but it does clear up the source of the misunderstanding.
All this made me think about the relationships between the king, de Lacy and Dalton. Under the feudal system the king would grant lands to his senior men who in turn would grant land to their subordinates in rank. Researching the de Lacys proved very informative. Ilbert and Walter de Lacy arrived in England with William the Conqueror. Ilbert was a major participant in William's "harrying of the North", 1069-70, and was rewarded with large land grants there. Walter de Lacy was granted lands on the Welsh borders and thus became a Marcher Lord. Both men obviously in good favour with King WIlliam. It was Walter de Lacy's descendant, Hugh de Lacy, who had Walter Dalton in his retinue and it was Hugh who granted Walter land in Westmeath, if he could hold it. Hugh was very close to the king and when Henry left Ireland he put Hugh de Lacy in charge. This, in effect, shows Walter Dalton to be an individual trusted by de Lacy and King Henry and supports the thought that Walter's arrival was as a result of the influence of Renaud de Courtenay in the matter of a marriage between Walter and a French royal princess.
Strongbow, Richard de Clare, was also a Welsh Marcher Lord and I'm sure it is the presence of two Marcher Lords that has led to the confusions in the older account by John O'Hart.
As an extra piece of interest I discovered that Trim Castle, according to the Scottish Society of Antiquaries in 1908, is the best example in Ireland of a Norman fortress. It was a de Lacy castle.
I would like to thank Cathy Dalton for prompting the research which has shown the strong connections between Walter Dalton, Hugh de Lacy and King Henry II. Another piece of the jigsaw added.
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date July 2017
© Mike Dalton
Princess found?
Regarding the Daltons in Ireland, the tale in common circulation relates that the original Dalton in Ireland, Walter, arrived in 1171 with Henry II of England having upset the King of France by marrying the king's daughter without permission. He gained land in County Meath and his line flourished. Unfortunately there is no recorded evidence so it is often regarded more as a legend than fact.
The story has always intrigued me as it is not uncommon for family legends to be more true than appears at first sight so could there be any truth in this legend after all? Over the years I've tucked away various bits of information and ideas and I began to construct a theory which may have solved the mystery. See what you think.
Ireland at the time was in a state of conflict with Norman mercenaries together with Irish fighting against Irish and Norse. Henry had arrived in order to exert control over the Norman lords already in Ireland who, in restoring to his throne the deposed King of Leinster, were also acquiring territory for themselves. Henry saw the opportunity to gain territory for himself and also to reign in the Norman Richard de Clare's ambitions which may, in time, have led to him becoming paramount in Ireland. In this Henry was encouraged by the Pope who wanted the Irish Church to adopt the Gregorian reforms and to pay allegiance, and tax, to Rome.
Walter Dalton was given land in County Meath under Hugh de Lacy who had been granted the territory if he could take and keep it. Remember the reason for Walter Dalton joining Henry II was said to be because he had married the daughter of the King of France without royal assent and the French king was not that happy about it. The use of the French fleur-de-lys in the Dalton coat of arms was seen as confirmation of this. Unfortunately all the daughters of King Louis VII of France can be accounted for and none married Walter so the tale doesn't hold water. Hmmm....
Where does the name "Dalton" come from? The connection with the Normans has always been strong as in the name being d'Alton, a French form of naming still used today and also occurring in Irish writings about Daltons describing "the correct spelling: D'Alton" and even as "D'Autun". Now there's a thought. There is a town in Burgundy, in France, called Autun. Could Walter be from there? The terms Normans and French are usually interchangeable but they should not be. The Normans were Norsemen who raided northern France in the 8th & 9th centuries, settled there and arranged with the king of France, who could not defeat them, to keep possession of that bit of north west France now called Normandy. At the turn of the first millennium France was not as we know it today, the King of France only controlled a relatively small area in the environs of Paris called the Isle de France. To the south east was Burgundy and in Burgundy is the town of Autun which in Roman times was called Augustodunum, an important town which was a centre for the study of rhetoric. Burgundy was a powerful state in its own right, at one point being a kingdom and later well known as a dukedom (from the roman title Dux). West and southwest in what is now France were the dukedoms of Anjou and Aquitaine, also not French at the time.
All that could point to Walter being a Burgundian but what about making off with the French king's daughter and how did Walter get to meet her? Well, what if it wasn't a princess of the king but a royal princess and wouldn't Walter have to be of sufficient rank to meet the lady socially? This would mean that a Walter d'Autun would need to be connected but what is the likelihood that "d'Autun" was used as a surname and that it was relevant? Looking into that I discovered that there are quite a few individuals using "d'Autun" as their surname from the 9th century onwards and they were connected, unsurprisingly, not only to Burgundy but also to the House of the Dukes of Burgundy. Aha, important people. Important enough to be in contact with senior members of the houses of France, Normandy, Anjou etc.
Now it's possible that Walter was a higher ranking Burgundian but what about the princess? If not the royal princess how about a royal princess? Any princesses offering themselves, if you see what I mean? Looking at the known date of Walter's arrival in Ireland, 1171, and searching for princesses one does rather stand out. The youngest brother of King Louis VII of France was Peter. Following the exit of the previous incumbents the Dukedom of Burgundy was given to Peter who had quite a few children all of whom are accounted for in detail except one. His eldest daughter was born in 1156 and she has no recorded name or details. Every other child has a biography, who what where when etc except her. Why? Could she be the lady I was looking for? Any supporting evidence apart from the coat of arms of Burgundy at that point including fleur-d-lys?
Well, Louis VII had been given, by his father, her guardian, in marriage at a very young age, Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the wealthiest, most eligible heiress in Europe. The marriage did not work well and the French royal court became factionalised between the king and the queen. One of Queen Eleanor's key supporters was Renaud de Courtenay whose daughter Hawise had married the French king's youngest brother, Peter whose title, remember, was Duke of Burgundy and who had a mysterious daughter. Eleanor and Louis divorced and Renaud was instrumental in her marriage to Henry II of England. Renaud had to go and he went to England where Henry gave him title and land.
Hypothesis: we have a royal princess, eldest daughter of the Duke of Burgundy who was the youngest brother of the king of France, and about which lady we have no information. We also have Walter d'Autun, of Burgundy, well enough connected to move in the right circles to meet her and allied to Renaud de Courtenay and the faction of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife now of Henry II of England with whom Walter arrived in Ireland bearing a coat of arms with fleur-de-lys not of France but of the House of Burgundy.
To me, the key parts of the investigation have been the discovery of the circular connection: King Louis VII of France, his youngest brother Peter, Peter's marriage to Hawise de Courtenay daughter of Renaud de Courtenay and Renaud's involvement with King Louis' divorced wife Eleanor of Aquitaine now married to Henry II of England - who took Walter d'Autun with him on campaign to Ireland where Walter was given rank and land and where he raised his coat of arms with the fleur-de-lys.
Going back to the idea that family legends contain more truth than may be supposed then that narrative fits. It seems odd that the eldest daughter of a royal prince has no biography, not even, for example, that she died at birth. It fits that Walter 'Dalton' was 'd'Autun' because that spelling is mentioned in Irish sources, it was an associated name of rank in Burgundy and it fits that he would move in the right circles to meet a royal prince's daughter. The factionalisation of the French court and the interweaving of Renaud de Courtenay, Louis and Peter of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry d'Anjou, King of England all give a believable background to the scenario of a Walter d'Autun being in bad odour for making off with a royal princess. A lady written out of history because of the scandal but, with her husband, starting a very successful lineage which thrived and expanded in Ireland through the centuries.
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date June 2017
© Mike Dalton
Regarding the Daltons in Ireland, the tale in common circulation relates that the original Dalton in Ireland, Walter, arrived in 1171 with Henry II of England having upset the King of France by marrying the king's daughter without permission. He gained land in County Meath and his line flourished. Unfortunately there is no recorded evidence so it is often regarded more as a legend than fact.
The story has always intrigued me as it is not uncommon for family legends to be more true than appears at first sight so could there be any truth in this legend after all? Over the years I've tucked away various bits of information and ideas and I began to construct a theory which may have solved the mystery. See what you think.
Ireland at the time was in a state of conflict with Norman mercenaries together with Irish fighting against Irish and Norse. Henry had arrived in order to exert control over the Norman lords already in Ireland who, in restoring to his throne the deposed King of Leinster, were also acquiring territory for themselves. Henry saw the opportunity to gain territory for himself and also to reign in the Norman Richard de Clare's ambitions which may, in time, have led to him becoming paramount in Ireland. In this Henry was encouraged by the Pope who wanted the Irish Church to adopt the Gregorian reforms and to pay allegiance, and tax, to Rome.
Walter Dalton was given land in County Meath under Hugh de Lacy who had been granted the territory if he could take and keep it. Remember the reason for Walter Dalton joining Henry II was said to be because he had married the daughter of the King of France without royal assent and the French king was not that happy about it. The use of the French fleur-de-lys in the Dalton coat of arms was seen as confirmation of this. Unfortunately all the daughters of King Louis VII of France can be accounted for and none married Walter so the tale doesn't hold water. Hmmm....
Where does the name "Dalton" come from? The connection with the Normans has always been strong as in the name being d'Alton, a French form of naming still used today and also occurring in Irish writings about Daltons describing "the correct spelling: D'Alton" and even as "D'Autun". Now there's a thought. There is a town in Burgundy, in France, called Autun. Could Walter be from there? The terms Normans and French are usually interchangeable but they should not be. The Normans were Norsemen who raided northern France in the 8th & 9th centuries, settled there and arranged with the king of France, who could not defeat them, to keep possession of that bit of north west France now called Normandy. At the turn of the first millennium France was not as we know it today, the King of France only controlled a relatively small area in the environs of Paris called the Isle de France. To the south east was Burgundy and in Burgundy is the town of Autun which in Roman times was called Augustodunum, an important town which was a centre for the study of rhetoric. Burgundy was a powerful state in its own right, at one point being a kingdom and later well known as a dukedom (from the roman title Dux). West and southwest in what is now France were the dukedoms of Anjou and Aquitaine, also not French at the time.
All that could point to Walter being a Burgundian but what about making off with the French king's daughter and how did Walter get to meet her? Well, what if it wasn't a princess of the king but a royal princess and wouldn't Walter have to be of sufficient rank to meet the lady socially? This would mean that a Walter d'Autun would need to be connected but what is the likelihood that "d'Autun" was used as a surname and that it was relevant? Looking into that I discovered that there are quite a few individuals using "d'Autun" as their surname from the 9th century onwards and they were connected, unsurprisingly, not only to Burgundy but also to the House of the Dukes of Burgundy. Aha, important people. Important enough to be in contact with senior members of the houses of France, Normandy, Anjou etc.
Now it's possible that Walter was a higher ranking Burgundian but what about the princess? If not the royal princess how about a royal princess? Any princesses offering themselves, if you see what I mean? Looking at the known date of Walter's arrival in Ireland, 1171, and searching for princesses one does rather stand out. The youngest brother of King Louis VII of France was Peter. Following the exit of the previous incumbents the Dukedom of Burgundy was given to Peter who had quite a few children all of whom are accounted for in detail except one. His eldest daughter was born in 1156 and she has no recorded name or details. Every other child has a biography, who what where when etc except her. Why? Could she be the lady I was looking for? Any supporting evidence apart from the coat of arms of Burgundy at that point including fleur-d-lys?
Well, Louis VII had been given, by his father, her guardian, in marriage at a very young age, Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the wealthiest, most eligible heiress in Europe. The marriage did not work well and the French royal court became factionalised between the king and the queen. One of Queen Eleanor's key supporters was Renaud de Courtenay whose daughter Hawise had married the French king's youngest brother, Peter whose title, remember, was Duke of Burgundy and who had a mysterious daughter. Eleanor and Louis divorced and Renaud was instrumental in her marriage to Henry II of England. Renaud had to go and he went to England where Henry gave him title and land.
Hypothesis: we have a royal princess, eldest daughter of the Duke of Burgundy who was the youngest brother of the king of France, and about which lady we have no information. We also have Walter d'Autun, of Burgundy, well enough connected to move in the right circles to meet her and allied to Renaud de Courtenay and the faction of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife now of Henry II of England with whom Walter arrived in Ireland bearing a coat of arms with fleur-de-lys not of France but of the House of Burgundy.
To me, the key parts of the investigation have been the discovery of the circular connection: King Louis VII of France, his youngest brother Peter, Peter's marriage to Hawise de Courtenay daughter of Renaud de Courtenay and Renaud's involvement with King Louis' divorced wife Eleanor of Aquitaine now married to Henry II of England - who took Walter d'Autun with him on campaign to Ireland where Walter was given rank and land and where he raised his coat of arms with the fleur-de-lys.
Going back to the idea that family legends contain more truth than may be supposed then that narrative fits. It seems odd that the eldest daughter of a royal prince has no biography, not even, for example, that she died at birth. It fits that Walter 'Dalton' was 'd'Autun' because that spelling is mentioned in Irish sources, it was an associated name of rank in Burgundy and it fits that he would move in the right circles to meet a royal prince's daughter. The factionalisation of the French court and the interweaving of Renaud de Courtenay, Louis and Peter of France, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry d'Anjou, King of England all give a believable background to the scenario of a Walter d'Autun being in bad odour for making off with a royal princess. A lady written out of history because of the scandal but, with her husband, starting a very successful lineage which thrived and expanded in Ireland through the centuries.
Contributor Mike Dalton
Date June 2017
© Mike Dalton