N U T O N / N E W T O N F A M I L Y
of S T C O L U M B M I N O R
NUTON/NEWTON This is believed to be of 'location origin' although most all counties
in England have a location called 'New-town', Newton or Nuton and it is said that there are
some 83 such places called Newton or Newtown in England. It is also suggested that
when William the Conquer landed some of his group landed at a place called Newtown/Newton or
Nuton. So depending on one's own origin, the name being location based, it seems quite
possible to have a number of familys of New-town whose surname becomes Newton or Nuton, who
may not be closely related at all. So I suppose that the family heritage of the Nuton or
Newton family of St Columb Minor will have to be found out at some distant time as to just
who they are and who they are descendants of. In addition to these two obvious spellings of
the name there are other variations such as Naunton, Newington, Newnton, Niton and Nyton.
The word it self is of Old English word origin from 'neowe' - new and 'tun' meaning enclosure
or settlement or even just 'town' when you come down to it. In Cornwall there is Newtown in
St Martin in Meneage Parish and Newtown in the parish of Germoe. As near as I can make it there
is a Newtown near Launceston or Illand, one in Helland [St Martin] and on in the realm of the
Lizard as well. Which of these are duplicates of the prior listing? I suppose a number of
settlements were a 'newtown' at one time.
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