William was a chair turner - 1881 census
1891 census still a chair turner
Emma was a bead worker - 1881 census
During the early months of World War 1 the Royal Navy maintained a patrol of old Cressy class armoured cruisers, known as Cruiser Force C, in the area of the North Sea known as the Broad Fourteens. There was opposition to this patrol from many senior officers, including Admiral Jellicoe and Commodores Keyes and Tyrwhitt, on the grounds that the ships were very vulnerable to a raid by modern German surface ships and the patrol was nick named the "live bait squadron". The Admiralty maintained the patrol on the grounds that destroyers were not able to maintain the patrol in the frequent bad weather and that there were insufficient modern light cruisers available.
In the early hours of September 20th 1914 the cruisers Euryalus, Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy were preparing to go on patrol under Rear Admiral Christian in HMS Euryalus. Normally the patrol was under command of Rear Admiral Campbell in HMS Bacchantes but he was absent so Christian helped fill the gap although he had other duties. The weather was too bad for destroyers to be at sea and unfortunately Euryalus had to drop out due to lack of coal and weather damage to her wireless, Rear Admiral Christian had to remain with his ship rather than transfer to another ship as the weather was too bad to transfer. He delegated command to Captain Drummond in Aboukir although he did not make it clear that Drummond had the authority to order the destroyers to sea if the weather improved, which it did towards the end of September 21st.
Early on September 22nd 1914 the German submarine U9 under the command of Commander Otto Weddigen sighted the Cressy, Aboukir and Hogue steaming NNE at 10 knots without zigzagging. Although the patrols were supposed to maintain 12-13 knots and zigzag the old cruisers were unable to maintain that speed and the zigzagging order was widely ignored as there had been no submarines sighted in the area during the war.
U9 manoeuvred to attack and at about 6.25 AM fired a single torpedo at Aboukir, which stuck her on her port side. Aboukir rapidly suffered heavy flooding and despite counter flooding developed a 20 degree list and lost engine power. It was soon clear that she was a lost cause and Captain Drummond ordered her to be abandoned, although only one boat had survived the attack so most crew had to jump into the sea. At first Drummond thought that Aboukir had been mined and signalled the other two cruisers to close and assist but he soon realised that it was a torpedo attack and ordered the other cruisers away, but too late.As Aboukir rolled over and sank, half an hour after being attacked, U9 fired two torpedoes at HMS Hogue that hit her amidships and rapidly flooded her engine room. Captain Nicholson of Hogue had stopped the ship to lower boats to rescue the crew of Aboukir, thinking that as he was the other side of Aboukir from U9 he would be safe. Unfortunately U9 had manoeuvred around Aboukir and attacked Hogue from a range of only 300 yards.
The firing of two torpedoes affected the trim of U9 which broke the surface briefly and was fired on by Hogue without effect.
It only took Hogue ten minutes to sink as U9 headed for HMS Cressy. Cressy, under Captain Johnson, had also stopped to lower boats but got underway on sighting a periscope. At about 7.20 AM however U9 fired two torpedoes, one of which just missed but the other hit Cressy on her starboard side, Cressy briefly firing on U9s periscope with no effect.
The damage to Cressy was not fatal but U9 turned round and fired her last torpedo which hit Cressy sinking her within a quarter of an hour.
Survivors were picked up by several nearby merchant ships including the Dutch Flora and Titan and the British trawlers JGC and Corainder before the Harwich force of light cruisers and destroyers arrived. Flora returned to Holland with 286 rescued crew who were quickly returned to Britain even though the neutral Dutch should have interned them. In all 837 men were rescued but 1459 died, many of which were reservists or cadets.
In the aftermath of the attack the patrol by armoured cruisers was abandoned, the stopping of major ships in dangerous waters banned and the order to steam at 13 knots and zigzag re-emphasised.
A court of inquiry was set up and found that whilst some blame was attributable to all of the senior officers involved. Captain Drummond for not zigzagging and for not calling for destroyers, Rear Admiral was criticised for not making it clear to Drummond that he could summon the destroyers and Rear Admiral Campbell for not being present and for a very poor performance at the inquiry at which he stated that he did not know what the purpose of his command was. The bulk of the blame was directed at the Admiralty for persisting with a patrol that was dangerous and of limited value against the advice of senior sea going officers.
The Loss of the Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue <http://oldster.future.easyspace.com/ach.html>
Lieut. Otto Weddigen's Account of the U-9 Submarine Attack <http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1914/u-9.html>
1881 census shows David as a Market Gardener occupying 20 acres employing 1 man and 1 boy
In 1881 shown living in Blackbird Street, Potton
In 1901 census David is shown as a boarder at the Bell Inn in Potton, Beds. Profession shown as a Carting contractor
In 1901 census James is shown as a boarder at the Bell Inn in Potton, Beds with his brother David. Profession shown as a Carting contractor
Professional researchers examined some of the most ancient manuscripts such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Inquisitio, the Ragman Rolls, the Domesday Book, baptismal, parish records and cartularies, and tax records, and researchers found the first record of the name Chilton in Northumberland where they have been seated from early times.
The early and middle development of the name showed many different spelling in the archives. Our name, Chilton, occurred in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spet Chilton, Chiltone, Chiltons, Chillton, Chilltone, Chilltons, Chiltoun, Chiltoune, Chiltowne, Chilltoun, Chilltoune, Chilltowne, and these changes in spelling frequently occurred within the family name. Scrivbs and church officials spelt the name as it sounded, and these spellings were not even consistent during the lifetime of the person.
The family name Chilton is believed to be descended originally from the Boernicians. This ancient founding race of the north were a mixture of Scottish Picts and Angles, a race dating from about the year 400A.D. Their territories ranges from Edinburgh in the north, southward to the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1000A.D. this race had formed into discernable Clans and families, perhaps some of the first evidence of the family structure in Britian. From this area we get some of the most impressive names in history, surnames with strange nicknames such as the Sturdy Armstrongs, one of whom was appropriately, the first to colonize the moon, the Gallant Grahams, the Saucy Scotts, the Angry Kerrs, the Bells, the Nixons, the Famous Dicksons, the Bold Rutherfords, the Pudding Somervilles, and most of the names ending in "son".
Amongst this elite circle of clans and families the earliest record of the surname chilton was found in Northumberland. The family settled firstly in Northumberland, William Chilton having manor and estates in that country soon after the Norman Conquest. Later the family name moved southward to Wilshire and Kent, where they acquired estates in Cadiz, Spain. John Chilton married into the Heneagh of Northumberland about the 16th century. Notable amongst the family members during the early history was Chilton of Northumberland.
The border area of Scotland and England reach from Carlisle in the west to Berwick in the east. The Clans or families to the north of the border became Scottish after about the year 1000, and to the south they became English. Nevertheless, despite the border, many would still be united clans, powers unto themselves, owning little allegiance to either the Scotland or England.
Clan warfare became so intense that in 1246A.D., six Chiefs from the Scottish side and six from the English side met at Carlisle and produced a set of laws for all the border territory. These were unlike any laws prevailing in England or Scotland or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world. For example, it was a far greater offence to refuse to help a neighbor recover his property, wife, sheep, cattle or horses than it was to steal them in the first place. For refusal of assistance a person could be hanged on the instant, without trial. While clans were on this "hot trod", from which we get the modern expression "hot to trot", they were protected fro almost all eventualities.
In 1603, the crowns of Scotland and England were united under James VI of Scotland who found it expedient to disperse the "unruly border clans". In 1587, an Act of Swedish Parliament had condemned certain border families for their lawlessness.
The Border Clans, largely the Strathclyde Britons on the western border, and the Boernicians on the Easter Border of Marches, were dispersed to England, northern Scotland and to Ireland. Some were banished directly to the Colonies.
In Ireland, they were granted lands previously help by the Catholic Irish. They signed an "Undertaking" to remain Protestant and faithful to the Crown. There is no record of this distinguished family migrating to Ireland, but this does not preclude the possibility individual migration.
Life in Ireland was intolerant to many of these uprooted families and they sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60-70% of their original passenger list, many dying on the way, were buried at sea.
Amongst the first pioneers who could be considered kinsmen to the family name Chilton, of that same Clan or family, was James Chilton who sailed on the "Mayflower" and landed in Plymouth in 1620, and signed the famous compact of the ownerships of the land. He died on December 8th, 1620; a month after the "mayflower" landed, and his wife also died a month after that time. Later Stephen Chilton settled in Virginia in 1650, and it is not recorded whether Stephen is related to the original James. James had one daughter; Mary, who survived the "Mayflower" landing. John Chilton settled later in 1744.
These migrants became the backbone of the first settlements from Maine to the Cumberland Gap. They provided much of the stock which produced the early presidents and governors of the United States. In Canada they settled in Nova Scotia, the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa Valley. During the American War of Independence those loyal to the crown moved northward into Canada and became known as the United empire Loyalists. The family name Chilton provided many prominent contemporaries, Air Marshall Sir Charles Chilton; Donovan chilton; General Sir Frederick Chilton, Australian; Sir John P. Chilon, American Educator.
Blazon of Arms:
Argent, a chevron gules within a bordure gobonated or and gules
Translation:
The chevron indicates Protection and Defense. Argent (white) represents the Moon and denotes Purity, Innocence and Obedience.
Crest:
A griffin passant sable bezantee.
born at 284 Bramford Road Ipswich Suffolk?