In the 9th century the Vikings began to settle in the Isles of Scotland. The Vikings were an aggressive seafaring group of people. They were from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They spread quickly and very easily through out the whole world in the Viking Age (AD 800-1050) with the help of the Viking Ship. The Viking ship was the best ship of its time; there was nothing even close to it. The Vikings were often said to be raiders, the Vikings were also traders, explorers and settlers. They left a legacy of family names. Cutchin is one of them.
In 888 AD, King Harold of Norway kicked the rebellious northern clans out of Norway forever. One of these clans was the Vikings. They began moving into other lands and acquiring more land as they went. Coastal parts of Scotland, the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, together with the Isle of Man, were constantly under attack by the Vikings. At these locations there were many fierce battles with the Scottish Kings, some historians actually call them slaughter fests. The Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland eventually came under Viking political control. Eventually, the Scottish Kings gave up fighting and let the Vikings settle on Scottish land. The Northern Vikings of Scotland were considered to be in the class called "Highlanders". Eventually the Scottish people became willing to accept the Vikings into there culture.
The first account of the name Cutchin was found in Northcumberland where they lived from very ancient times. They may have lived there before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 AD. The name Cutchin is said to be in some Viking Sagas.
From time to time the Surname Cutchin was spelt Hutchinson and Hutchenson. This was common back then; spelling changed from father to son. Sometimes a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and another would be engraved in their head stone.
The name Cutchin emerged as a Scottish family in the northern territory of Northumberland where they were recorded as being a family with great wealth and estates in that shire. The family originated at the Castle of Cronenberg, in Norway around 900 AD. The Viking noble's name was Hutchin. He accompanied Harold Harfager who settled in the north East Coast at Bishop Middleham in Northumberland. They bought the estates of Skirsgill and Crossfield House of Cumberland, Newbiggin Hall, and Appleby in Westmoreland, and Bishop Wearmouth in Duram. One of his descendants was Robert Hutchinson, who was from Bishop Middleham. His son, Colonel Hutchinson was the Governor of Nottingham Castle about Robin Hood's time.
Eventually, after the Highlands of Scotland became a laid waste thanks to James VI. In 1617, James VI brutally wiped out the highlands from the Islands to the borders. Some of the people moved to Ireland, England, and the New World. Many of the Highlanders that went to the New World left in Highland Regiments. They sailed in ships that were only for 100 people, but they packed them with over 400 people. They called these boats the "White Sails". About 30 to 40% of the people on these boats died from diseases and many other things. Below is a list of some of the people who made the trip to the New World.
Richard Hutchinson 1630 Salem
Thomas Hitchinson 1630 Salem
Edward & Mary Hutchinson 1634 Boston
Joe Hutchinson 1634 Virginia
Thomas Cutchin 1634 Virginia **
Samuel Cutchin Abt. 1660 Jamestown, Virginia *
Unknown Cutchin Abt. 1660 Jamestown, Virginia *
John Hutchinson 1774 New York
* According to some past Cutchin Researchers, the King of England gave a land grant to two Cutchin Brothers in Virginia. There was a Crutchin that landed in Jamestown in 1660. He is believed to be Samuel Cutchin.
** He was brought over to the New World by Rev. George White in 1634 of the New Norfolk Company.
Information was compiled from:
Some of the information on this page was extracted from an Ancient History Scroll of the Surname Cutchin that Cutchin.Com bought from, The Hall of Names, Inc. That information is protected under the International Copyright Laws. Copyright © 1994
All of this information was researched and found to be true to the best of our knowledge. I did not find any information on the Castle of Cronenberg besides that it existed. I assume it was destroyed in battle like many of the castles of its time. Some of Viking Information came from the Viking Historical Society.