Sir William d’Aton Knight

  Information about this person:

• Background Information. ¹⁴¹
Sir John Darcy, styled le neveu and le cosyn, and (long afterwards) le piere, of Knaith, Kexby, and Upton, co. Lincoln, son and heir of Sir Roger Darcy, of Oldcotes and Styrrup, Notts (who died before 12 May 1284), by Isabel, daughter of Sir William d'Aton, of West Ayton co. York, which Roger was a younger brother of Sir Norman Darcy of Nocton. He was under age, 15 June 1292.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. IV, pp. 54-58

"On the death of William de Vescy of Kildare, a bastard, without heir of his body (slain at Bannockburn 24 Jun 1314), it was found by inquisitions, cos. York and Lincoln, 2 Jun, 5 Aug and 15 Nov 1315, that Gilbert d'Aton, aged 26 and more, was heir of William de Vescy the elder (reputed father of the William de Vescy slain at Bannockburn), being son and heir of William brother and heir of Gilbert, son and heir of William, son and heir of Margery (wife of Gilbert d'Aton who died in 1235), daughter and heir of Warin de Vescy (of Knapton), brother of Eustace, grandfather of William (d'Acton) the elder"

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, p. 324, footnote (g)

• Background Information. ¹²²⁴
"In the 9th year of Edward II, an inquiry was directed (Feb. 22) preliminary to the inquisitio post mortem, which seems to have originated in the claim of Gilbert de Aton to this barony (Alnwick) as the descendant of Warin de Vesci.

"The inquisitio post mortem was held on 2 Jun following, before the escheator ultra Trent, at York, when the jury found that Gilbert de Aton was the true heir.

"The verdict states that, on the death of William de Vesci without direct heir, the inheritance reverted to the heir of Warin de Vesci, who was the brother of Eustace the grandfather of the above William. That Warin had a daughter, Marjory, who had a son, William de Aton; and William had two sons, William and Gilbert, the latter of whom had become the heir on his brother's death without issue.

Memoirs Chiefly Illustrative of the History and Antiquities of Northumberland, Vol. II, p. 151