Waterton is mentioned in the
Domesday Book which records that, before the
Norman Conquest, the manor was held by Fulcric who had one
carucate of land with a hall. At the time of the
Domesday survey, it was waste. It became the property of the Abbot of
Selby and at some point between 1160 and 1179 when Gilbert de Ver was Abbot, it was given by him to Reiner de
Normanby, son of Norman de Normanby, for an annual rent of twelve
shillings, the payment of which is enacted annually at
Luddington at
Candlemas. Reiner took the name de Waterton. According to the 19th-century historian of the Isle of Axholme Rev Stonehouse: "this family is equal if not superior in a long line of ancestry to most of the commoners of England". Notable members of the family include John de Waterton (
Master of the Horse),
Robert Waterton (guardian of
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York),
Sir Hugh Waterton, Sir Robert and Sir Thomas Waterton (
High Sheriffs of Yorkshire), Lady Margaret Waterton (
Lady of the Garter), and
Charles Waterton the naturalist.
Robert Waterton is mentioned in
Shakespeare's
Richard II. Waterton became deserted in the late 15th or 16th century. Some excavation has been undertaken. It has now been taken over by the Strawson family. Only the seven-bedroom Waterton Hall remains, described by
Pevsner as "a fine example of Georgian splendour". == References ==