General Notes:

The Addison Family Tree has its beginnings in the Parish of Morland in the mid to late 1500s. There are also Addisons in numbers in other parts of Westmorland, particularly Crosby Ravensworth in this time frame, however the Morland line of Addeson/Addison ancestors appears to tie in with later generations in the Levens area of Westmorland in the 18th and 19th centuries. The line goes back to the Parish of Morland where there is a record for a marriage of a Robert Addison to Agnes Dent in 1589 and a christening of a John Addeson, son of Robert in Sep 1595. There is also an IGI Record for a John, son of John born in 1597. Records for the first three generations start to make sense with the record for a John having a son Christopher in 1616 which is the first solid link to the Addisons that follow.

The following, taken from an old letter quoted on the Internet Genealogy Bulletin Board, provides some background on the origins of the ADDISONs of Westmorland. Any connection to the family/forebearers of Jospeh Addison the writer would have to have been from several generations before John or Robert ADDISON.

"The first of the name of Addison of whom we know is Lancelot Addison during the reign of Queen Elizabeth - however, the Addisons existed long before, their clan going back to the middle ages - and sixteen of them figured in the 16th century in frontier wars with Scotland. The seigneurie of Low Wood Nook in the east of Cumberland was their stronghold, which had been in their possession for ten generations previous to 1650."

We cannot think ourselves quite at liberty to close our account of this parish (Torpenhow), without first noticing a traditionary report, (which many well-informed persons of the family believed and affirmed to be well-founded) that the family of the ADDISONS, a name immortalized by the celebrated secretary, originally came from Low-Wood Nook, in this parish. How, when, or on what occasion, the progenitors of Dean Addison went to Mauld's Meburn, in Westmorland, it is not in our power to state: but we remember to have seen sundry letters that passed between Joseph Addison, Esq. afterwards secretary, and the Rev. Anthony Addison, of Queen's college, and Rector of Abingdon, who constantly subscribed himself his cousin; and who, undoubtedly, was of that branch of the family that settled at Whitehaven. These letters, in which there are frequent allusions to this circumstance of their being all of one family, were, many of them, preserved by some of the family in Maryland; where, many years ago, we saw them in the possession of that excellent man and excellent scholar, the Rev. Henry Addison. The fact moreover is somewhat confirmed by the intimacy and connection which always subsisted between both the Westmorland and Cumberland Addisons and Sir Joseph Williamson; to whom the dean, in an uncommonly neat and handsome strain of panegyric, dedicates both his Account of West Barbary and The Present State of the Jews.

It was either on the removal of one of them into Westmorland, or soon after, that the small estate at Low-Wood Nook was disposed of, when two brothers went of to settle, one in Maryland, and the other in Whitehaven; together with a sister, who married a Mr. Bowles, and settled, on the same plan, in London. Their propose was to prosecute a grand scheme of trade, on the coast of Africa, and in Maryland and Virginia: and this they carried on with great credit and success for many years. The Whitehaven branch is now all extinct: what remained of their property having ultimately centred in the present Mrs. Wallace, of Carleton-Hall, who, by the mother's side, is descended from the Addisons; by whose husband, the late attorney general, it was all sold.

The History of the County of Cumberland, Volume II by William Hutchinson

This edition originally printed by F. Jollie, Carlisle, 1794-1797

Republished 1974 by EP Publishing Limited in collaboration with

Cumberland County Library.

Another instance of the name ADDESON appears in connection with the well known Philipson family who were prominent in the Lakes District in Westmorland dating back to the 13th century.

Excerpt From: "A Westmorland Family:Fortunes of the Philipsons. By E W Brunskill." (The following was originally published as a series of three articles that appeared in the Westmorland Gazette on 3 September 1927, 24 September 1927 and 1 October 1927).

Robert Philipson of Hollinghall (now Hollin Hall) who married a Dockwray of Dockwray Hall, Kendal, was the first of the family. He is reputed to have flourished in the reign of Henry III (1216-1272). Nicholson and Burn say they have not found the name of Philipson in this county earlier than the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461), when one Rowland Philipson was living who married Catharine Carus of Asthwaite. Recent research has brought to light the existence of one John Philipson, between the first Robert given in the Visitation Pedigree, and Rowland, the first Nicholson and Burn could trace. The earliest mention of John is in the 5th year of Richard II's reign. In 1383, John was one of the witnesses to a grant by Simon de Multon and Roger, son of William, the clerk of Kyrkeby Lonesdale to John del Chambre and Christiana, his wife, of certain lands they held "of the gift and feoffment of the same John in Staveley Godmond." Robert de Docwra was another witness. Then in a Rental of the lands of Phillipa, "late the wife of Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford and John de Hothome" in 1390-94 we find John Philipson holding an "intacke in Undermylnebeck" for which he renders 2d., also a close called Bulnysperke. Again in the Applethwaite portion of the rental John Philipson, Richard Tayleyor, John Addeson and Roger Byrketh held Le Calvegartrige, for which they rendered 13s 4d. John Philipson and others also held the water-corn mill, for which they rendered £3 Os Od. At the same time John Philipson held two acres of meadow in "Troutbeke" for which he rendered 2s Od. It is significant that this John Philipson held land in the same places as later generations of Philipsons.

First Generation - Addisons of Morland, Westmorland.

1. Robert ADDESON/ADDISON was born in 1560 in Morland, Westmorland, UK.

Robert married Agnes DENT Addison in 1595 in Morland Parish Church, Westmorland, UK. Agnes was born in 1560 in Morland, Westmorland, UK.

The child from this marriage was:

+ 2 M i. John ADDESON/ADDISON was born in 1595 in Morland Parish, Westmorland, UK.