The original spelling of the family name is believed to be Hyltun, meaning "an enclosure on a hill" - "Hyl" meaning a hill and the word "tun" thought to be of Norse origin, used originally to describe a fence, then an enclosure, a farm, and eventually it evolved into the word "town".

The earliest written record of the Helton/Hylton/Hilton name that survives occurs on a charter between Alexander de Helton and Bishop Hugh who made a convention with the Prior of Durham, England, relative to the chapel of Hylton, where Hylton Castle now stands in 1172 A.D.

With the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, the French language became the spoken and written language of the aristocracy and landed gentry. "Hyl" became "Hel" and "Tun" became "Ton"  i.e."Hyltun" was spelt "Helton". Latin remained the written and spoken language of the church.

When King Richard II, the last of the Plantaganet kings was deposed in 1399 and King Henry IV (house of Lancaster and a cadet branch of the Plantaganet family) was crowned, his coronation ceremony was conducted in English for the first time. English became  acknowledged as the written and spoken language of the country.

 "Helton" became "Hylton".

The letter "y" was used instead of "i" until the beginning of the 17th century when Hylton started to be spelt "Hilton".

In the early days, the name was recorded by someone who could write, normally the local preacher, who often wrote down what he heard, and two branches of the same family are recorded as both Hylton and Hilton

Some branches of the family retained the "Helton" spelling, some the "Hylton" spelling and some adopted the "Hilton" spelling. All three spellings of the name can be seen on legal documents of the same family;

Read the fascinating story of the Hiltons of Hylton Castle  in the book "The Hiltons of Hylton Castle" by E. W. Lamberton, which includes a complete family pedigee of the Hylton Castle family from 1172-1769  published by Family |Heritage International. Available by post Price US$30 plus US$10 P&P from; Family Heritage International, P.O. Box 90, The "Original" Washington, England, NE37 0YP. or order online from Dreamlane Limited at www.DreamlaneLimited.com