Histories

Lutton, Sutton, Longsutton and Other Variations

(contributed by Gregor Mason)
The town of Lutton is north of Longsutton and the St Nicholas Church is in Lutton. Robert Mason and the Delahoy children used to walk across the sand dunes from Lutton to the beach, about 1 mile. If you look at a map today the distance is significantly further than 1 mile but this is because the land has been reclaimed. There has also been a change in the parish boundaries over the years. Thus Sutton St Nicholas is now known as Lutton St Nicholas. Robert was a merchant seaman (I guess in his late teens), this is where he learnt sail making which led to his tent making business in Ararat many years later.

Robert Mason eventually married Susannah Delahoy (daughter of John Delahoy and Rebecca Wanty) and a few months later the couple emigrated to Australia and settled in Moyston Victoria.

William The Conquerer

There is a hint of a Delahoy arriving in England with William the Conquerer in 1066. According to a book written by the late Bruce Robinson detailing the history of Lincolnshire, the great 16th century 'antiquarian' John Stowe wrote an account of the Norman invasion alternatively entitled "The Chronicles of Normandy", "The Norman Chronicles", "Chroniques de Normandie" in which he lists a number of families that arrived in England from Normandy following the successful invasion by William of Normandy. Among those listed is the name Delahoy. We are yet to track down the Stowe account.

The Huguenots

This from Robert Nash of The Huguenot Society of Australia:

The Delahoy family who went to settle in the Fens (Isle of Ely/Cambridgeshire) were most definitely Huguenots. I suspect they originated in the Pas de Calais area, just inland from the town of Calais on the coast of Northern France. They are well represented in the register of the French church of Thorney, which was published by the Hug Soc of GB.

By the way I think your Delahoys are more likely to be related to the
French Huguenots than anything else. Thorney in Cambridgeshire seems to be a centre for Huguenots in the 1640's & it is only 20 miles from
Gedney/Long Sutton, plus there is a Delahoy there in 1643 (see thorney
museum). When I put Delahoy in the 1851 census there aren't too many in
England & most are centred around Cambs & sth Lincs.
3w.thorney-museum.org.uk

[James] "probably living in 1808 as son signs Jr. then. In his will 1812 does not sign Jr. A letter of this J.D.'s granddaughter (my grandmother E.D.B.M.C.) says that the Omers and Delahoys had lived "for two generations in the Palace of Versailles as nobles with titles which are now forgotten"--Endured persecution for their religious and political views and about 1687 were obliged to fly--all property confiscated. She also says she remembers seeing her great grandparents and that they were all long-lived, stately, dignified, literary and scholarly, wore powdered wigs, queues tied with black ribbon, knee britches, shoes buckled, etc. She also writes about her own grandmother Sophia Delahoy giving her an album and writing an original poem in it and dying shortly after. We have this album now, with the poem (and others by her grandfather John Omer, her mother, her stepfather and others). So Sophia ... Delahoy died about 1828 evidently. She describes her as a lovely poetess and dear and charming old lady. Her son kept all her poems and meant to have them published after her death, but they were all burned in the fire as well." 

Edith Billing Miles Todd, "Ancestors of Edith Marian Billing Miles," Manuscript, FHL Fiche 6004403, [FHL_Catalog].