ROBERT HORTON was born 1530 in Mowsley, Leicestershire, England, died 1570 in Mowsley. The civil parish of Mowsley lies about eleven miles south-south-east of Leicester on the rising ground towards the Northamptonshire boarder.The village has been the principal settlement in the ancient parish of Knaptoft since the depopulation of Knaptoft in the 16th century. The parish church at Knaptoft fell into ruins in the 17th century, and the rector and his curate subsequently lived at Mowsley to serve the chapels there and at Shearsby. A noticeable feature of the poll tax list for 1381 is that the free tenants did not receive the highest assessments. Members of the Horton family received two of the highest assessments: John and Alice Horton (4s.2d.) and William and Agnes Horton (3s.9d.)
John and William Horton, who were both holders of land at will in 1381, were probably the heirs of John Horton, who was a free tenant of Roger le Brabazon in 1345. This John Horton was in the third generation of Hortons descended from Henry of Horton who became the free tenant of Hugh Gobion at Knaptoft shortly after 1268. John Horton was apparently the first of his family to settle in Mowsley. His house in 1345 lay on the north side of the churchyard. In 1761 a house on this site, still belonging to the Horton family, was demolished and a new one built on the other side of the property.
There were still Hortons in Mowsley in 1909. Richard Horton's three sons,William, Thomas, and Richard Horton'The Younger' in 1524 were assessed for goods worth L50,L12, and L4 respectively and together paid more than three quarters of the sum subscribed by the whole village of Mowsley. Richard Horton 'The Younger' in 1551 was reported to be the tenant of Crown lands in Mowsley which had formerly belonged to Leicester Abbey. The Hortons were a substantial yeoman farming family in Mowsley, Saddington, and Gumley during the 17th and early 18th centuries, and continued to buy and sell land in the district.
From: Victoria County History, Volume V, 1964, pages 248-256
ROBERT HORTON married in about 1550 and had sons:
WILLIAM HORTON I born 1552,died 1640.
ROBERT HORTONwas born about 1552, he married Agnes Brockden on 29 Aug 1579
THOMAS HORTON was born about 1555
WILLIAM HORTON I of Great & Little Horton, Bradford, born about 1552, married ELIZABETH HANSON in 1571,she was the daughter of Thomas Hanson, Esquire of Toothill Hall, Halifax, England. William and Elizabeth had children:
WILLIAM HORTON II born about 1576.
MARGARET HORTON born about 1574.
JOSHUA HORTON born about 1572.
JOSEPH HORTON born about 1578.
THOMAS HORTON born about 1580. He owned property and land at Howroyd Hall and Cromwell bottom. He married Francis Throppe about 1605.
SARAH HORTON born about 1582. She married John Gledhill.
ELIZABETH HORTON born about 1584, she married Richard Bold.
Both William and Elizabeth lived and died in England.
SARAH HORTON GLEDHILL left a will, dated 13 Oct 1657: "Will of Sarah Gledhill, late of Barkisland, now of London, spinster. I do allow............,my uncle Joshua Horton,....my cousin, Elizabeth Horton,......." Second paragraph states, "I give my grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth Horton L50 and one inlaid chest which was my mother's. To my uncle, Mr. Thomas Horton, of Liverpool,(this proves that the two Horton families are indeed related. Thomas Horton of Liverpool being the son of Thomas Horton, brother of Robert Horton of Leicestershire.)The last sentence reads:"Residue to uncle Joshua Horton, of Sowerby, Esq., and my aunt, Elizabeth Horton, of Holroide (Howroyd), equally, both executors. Proved 30 Apr 1658."
JOSEPH AND MARY HORTON had two more sons:
JEREMIAH HORTON born about 1604 in Mowsley.
THOMAS HORTON born about 1602 in Mowsley.
THOMAS HORTON born about 1602 in Mowsley. He died in 1641 in Springfield, Hampton County, MA at 39 years of age. Thomas married MARY EDDY She died 19 Sep 1683 Springfield, Hampton County, MA. Thomas, his wife, Mary and their first born child, Mary Horton, along with his brother, Jeremiah, soon followed their brother, Barnabas across the ocean in the ship, "John and Mary." Thomas and Mary arrived in MA in early 1636 and left immediately for Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, where their second child, Jeremiah Horton was born. According to Savage (New England Register, Vol 2) Thomas and Mary removed to Springfield, MA by 1638, but Thomas' name is listed in The History of Springfield on page 41, 1636 - Thomas Horton witnessed Indian Deed and died here 1641. Thomas and Mary had the following children:
1.MARY HORTON born 1629 in Mowsley.
2.JEREMIAH HORTON born 1636 in Windsor Hartford County, Connecticut.
3.THOMAS HORTON born 1638 in Springfield, Hampton County, Massachusetts.
4.JOHN HORTON born 1640 in Springfield, Hampton County, Massachusetts.
After Thomas' early death, Widow Mary Horton made marriage contract with Robert Ashley, Proprietor of Springfield, MA town officer and keeper of an ordinary tavern on 07 Aug 1641. Mary was, "possessed of much property and guardian of the children of Thomas Horton." She had other children with Robert Ashley, David Ashley,born 03 Jun 1642; Jonathan Ashley born 25 Feb 1645; Sarah Ashley born 23 Aug 1648; Robert Ashley, born about 1650; Joseph Ashley born 06 Jul 1652; all born Springfield, Hampden County, MA From: "Pioneers of Massachusetts 1636-1736" by Pope, page 231.
JEREMIAH HORTON born 1636 in Windsor, Hartford Co.,CT, son of Thomas and Mary, died in 1682 in Springfield,MA. He married RUTH ELY on 03 August 1661 in Springfield, MA. They had son:
1.NATHANIEL HORTON born 29 Jun 1662 in Springfield, (page 146 - NEHGR, Vol 19, Jan 1865.
Jeremiah married second:MARY GILBERT on 05 May 1664. They had children:
2.JEREMIAH HORTON born 22 Nov 1665 (page 147 - NEHGR vol 19, Jan 1865)
3.SAMUEL HORTON born 20 Sep 1667.
4.THOMAS HORTON born about 1669.
5.TIMOTHY HORTON born about 1671.
6.JOHN HORTON born about 1673.
7.MARY HORTON born about 1675.
8. BENJAMIN HORTON born about 1677.
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