Sir Piers Dutton (died 17 August 1545) was the lord of the manor of Dutton from 1527 until his death. He was involved in the closing of Norton Abbey during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. He started rebuilding Dutton Hall in 1539.

Early life

Piers Dutton was the son of Piers Dutton and Eleanor Foulshurst.https://archive.org/details/visitationofches00glov 1580 Visitation of Cheshire Sir Piers Dutton inherited his family lands in

Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, Lincolnshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Houn ...

on the death of his grandfather (also named Piers Dutton) in 1503. His family were a junior line of the Dutton family from Dutton, who had been living there since the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

Public life

Piers Dutton was the mayor of Chester for three years (1512–1515). In 1526, Lawrence Dutton, the head of the senior branch of the family living in Dutton, died. He left no male heirs, but was survived by several sisters. Subsequently, there was a dispute between the sisters Alice, Eleanor, Anne, Margaret and Isabel on one side and Piers Dutton, who was judged the next male heir, on the other. The Dutton land was settled to Piers Dutton, with some of the other lands settled to the sisters of Lawrence. The following year Piers Dutton was knighted by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. When the commissioners arrived to close Norton Abbey as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in October 1536 they faced opposition from around 300 people. They locked themselves in the tower and sent a letter to Sir Piers Dutton, who arrived and arrested the abbot and several others. Dutton then sent a report of the incident to Henry VIII. He started rebuilding Dutton Hall in 1539. Sir Piers Dutton became

High Sheriff of Cheshire This is a list of Sheriffs (and after 1 April 1974, High Sheriffs) of Cheshire. The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the The Crown, Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law officer, law enforcement officer in th ...

on 22 November 1542 and died on 17 August 1545.

Marriages and issue

Sir Piers Dutton married Eleanor Leigh, who was the daughter of Thomas Leigh of Adlington and Katherine Savage. After the death of Eleanor, Dutton married Julian Poytz. Sir Piers and Eleanor Dutton had the following children: * Piers Dutton – died young. * Hugh Dutton – the eldest surviving son who married Jane Booth and had issue. He inherited the majority of his father's estate including the manor of Dutton, but died shortly after Sir Piers Dutton in 1546. The male line died out with the death of Hugh's grandson Thomas Dutton in 1614 and the assets were inherited by Thomas's daughter Eleanor, wife of Gilbert Gerrard. At the end of the Gilbert line, the heiress, Elizabeth Gerrard, married

James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton Lieutenant-General James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton and 1st Duke of Brandon (11 April 1658 – 15 November 1712), was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician. Hamilton was a major investor in the failed Darien scheme, which cost many of ...

, who was also created Baron Dutton. * Ralph Dutton – the second eldest surviving son, who Sir Piers Dutton gave the manor in Hatton. Had issue and his descendants lived at Hatton until the late 17th century. * Elizabeth Dutton, who married William Manley. * Alice Dutton * Katherine Dutton, who married Roger Puleston. * Anne Dutton, who married Hamlet Massey. * Margaret Dutton * Mary Dutton * Margery Dutton, who married John Booth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutton, Piers 1545 deaths Mayors of Chester 16th-century English people Year of birth unknown