The Hangmen and the Hanged man – what’s in a name?

Being of the surname Billington, my family, though in Yorkshire for over 100 years, is often asked about its Lancashire origins and in particular I am often asked by historians if I have any connections to the Hangmen of Bolton. In the south of England the question is quite different and I am asked of my connections to John Billington who travelled with the Pilgrim father’s from Plymouth on the Mayflower.

My second name is John, so you could say John Billington is my namesake but  the similarities end there. Born in 1580, somewhere in Lincolnshire, John Billington arrived at  the Plymouth Colony on the famous voyage of with his wife and two sons. He soon made enemies with many aboard the ship and was known as a "foul mouthed miscreant" and "knave" and he had fled England to escape creditors. His sons were also seen as troublemakers. More