The family tree of the Mortons of Bawtry in Yorkshire has been well established for centuries, thanks to a visitation and lots of excellent archival documentation like wills. The History of Parliament has a great profile for Robert I and Robert II.
Nonetheless, shortly after 2000 a pedigree was introduced onto one or more of those anonymous pedigree websites that was totally a hoax and, checking again now some years later, instead of having disappeared it has multiplied to the point where it is all
over the place and even on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.

On this hoax pedigree, many of the names are inventions, and the dates (frequently extremely detailed back into the middle ages) are all inventions. Many of the people proven by documentation and ancient pedigrees to have been in the baronial line have
disappeared. At least half of this line is fantasy.

The correct line is thought to be as follows:

1-William de Morton (ca.1140)
2-Peter de Morton
3-Nicholas de Morton
4-Roger de Morton
5-Thomas Morton
6-Robert Morton THE FIRST (sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, 1362) d.1396 (Joan de Skinton) Extensively documented.
7-Robert Morton THE SECOND (MP) d.1424 (1-Oska of Bohemia; 2-Katherine Frost), profile in History of Parliament and further researched since then by Simon Payling. Certainly the “MORTON” in Henry IV Part 2 Act 1 Scene 1, attainted and condemned to
death for his part in Scrope's Rebellion.
8-Charles Morton, still a minor as of 1424. Refused to accept knighthood pleading poverty. Poorly document, and possibly never married.
9-Robert Morton (Cecily Kniveton). I believe this is the brother of Charles mentioned in Robert II's 1424 will; there just is not space for another generation.
10-Robert Morton (Alice Bozun). This would presumably be the Robert who made a will in 1485 prior to going off to fight for "Good King Richard".
11-Nicholas Morton, will proved Oct. 28, 1515 “Wills in the York Registry 1514-1553, p.229 (Alice Wentworth d.o. Thomas)
12-Charles Morton (Maud Dalyson d.o. William Dalyson of Lincolnshire)
13-Robert Morton, Esq. 1505-1575 (Alice Markham d.o. Sir John Markham of Cottam, Nottinghamshire)
14-Anthony Morton, as of the 1563/4 visitation married to his second wife (Mary Anne Norton widow of Robert Plumpton d.o. John Norton of Norton Conyers)
15- George Morton d.1612 (Catherine Boun)

The hoax pedigree bears little resemblance to this, and sometimes includes extremely detailed dates and spouses for the early-medieval Mortons. It has a Charles Morton seated at Bawtry in the middle of the 14th Century, in order to accord with the 1515
pedigree of Cardinal Morton's nephew Thomas that claims their line branched off from the Bawtry Mortons (to justify appropriating their coat of arms) from a William who was son of Charles and younger brother of Robert. There was no Charles during the
14th Century, and Robert Morton Jr. who d.1424 had no brothers.

Please be on the alert for this bogus family tree, and if you have an influence to have it removed by all means endeavor to do so. Thanks.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Could you post a link to the hoax tree

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)