My wife is descended from William Clayton and Prudence Lanckford so, when I came across the following passage in an old book today (at the Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, PA), I copied it down. I'm not vouching for this in any way, just sharing it. The book is mostly about the author's world travels, but he devotes a chapter or so to his genealogy and memories of growing up in and around Bethel Township, Delaware Co., PA. Mark "I have not been able to trace the family in England further back than 1560, when Thomas Clayton was the owner of "Clayton Hall" in Yorkshire. "They Claytons, according to family tradition, came originally from Sussex, England, where there was a small town of that name. In the olden time, surnames did not indicate relationship but location. All the inhabitants of Claytown (Clayton) took that as their surname. As York was then the political center of the Kingdom, it was quite natural that the bright young men of the sleepy old town should migrate to the fashionable metropolis of England. "The first son of Thomas of "Clayton Hall" died a minor. His second son was William of Okenshaw. He was a barrister of the Inner Temple. He died in 1627. The estate known as "Clayton Hall," descended to Thomas (2) who was in possession as heir in 1666. He had a son William, who came to this country in 1671, and is the ancestor of our family, and will be hereafter called William of Chichester, to distinguish him from the many other William Claytons that succeeded him. Thomas (2) had also a son, John, who was a barrister of the Inner Temple. He died April 6, 1666. "William of Okenshaw, the grandfather of 'William of Chichester, had a son, Jasper, who was knighted by his sovereign for some service which is not stated in the record. He was afterwards called Sir Jasper Clayton." Source: Rambles and Reflections: Europe from Biscay to the Black Sea and from Aetna to the North Cape with Glimpses at Asia, Africa, America and the Islands of the Sea. By Thomas J. Clayton, 1892.