The derivation of the name of PRESTON is a matter of doubt. Some say it is derived from "praestone", meaning "excellent", others say it is assumed by the family from their landed estates in Mid. Lothian, Scotland. Also there are indications that the estates were named from the circumstances that the owner somewhere along the line was a priest; thus Priest-town, or Preston. The City of Preston was originally settled by a group of monks, and it is almost certain that the name was derived from Priest. This is also borne out by the description of the earliest known family crest that is described as follows:

This crest bore the conceit of a castle, from whose high tower rose an eagle plunged for higher flight, with the pious aspiration at its base "SI DIEU VEULT", which freely rendered means, "Leaving the towers of earth we sore D. V. to heaven."

It must also be remembered that up to about the year 900 or 1000 AD, there were no permanent names among European peoples. A person had a name that applied to him individually and the name passed away at the person's death. In fact, a mans name might be changed during the course of his life. People generally lived and died in the community where they were born, and of course they were well known in that community.

Whatever the origin of the name of Preston, it was borne by the family as early as the time of Malcolm I of Scotland, who reigned from 944 to 953 AD.

The fourth generation, Nicol De Preston, of which nothing more is known. Titles of estates in those days were considered "indivisible inheritances", and except in the case of failure to have male issue, all that was of consequence in the family genealogy was to know the one person to whom the title and estates descended. (This is great if you are in line with the one person, usually the first born male, if however, there were ten other male members of the family, unless they did something outstanding, their names and descendents are almost impossible to trace.)

The fifth generation, Lawrence De Preston.

The sixth generation, Richard de Preston, owned vast estates in the north of England. His estates of which there are two, were called PRESTON RICHARD and PRESTON PATRICK, and were located in the County of Westmoreland.

The seventh generation, Sir Richard de Preston, whose name appears on several conveyances of land in Lancashire by Sir William de Furness along with Sir John de Fleming and others, as a witness to the transfer. He was also a witness to a grant and conveyance of lands in Preston, Holme and Hutton, by William de Lancaster the third, to Patrick, grandson of Gospatrick.

The eighth generation, Richard de Preston, was named as one of the jurors in the postmortem inquisition of William de Lindsay.

The ninth generation, Sir Richard de Preston, one of the jurors called to settle a dispute between the King of England and the Abbot of St. Mary's Convent, Yorkshire, as to whose right it was to make appointments to the two churches of Appleby. It was in this period that the struggles between the successions of William the Conqueror and the adherents of the Pope of Rome were in progress.

The tenth generation, Richard de Preston, was named as a witness, 1333 AD, to a conveyance of land at Old Hutton. He married Annabella who survived him and by whom he had issue.

The eleventh generation, Sir Richard de Preston, who represented his county, Westmoreland, in the English Parliament. This was in the time of Edward III when chivalry was at its height. His son succeeded him in the Preston estates and also in Parliament as Knight of the Shire for Westmoreland,

The twelfth generation, Sir Richard de Preston, who in the year 1368, obtained from the King a license to a tract of land containing five hundred acres.

The thirteenth generation, Sir John de Preston was the last of the Prestons to hold the two estates, Preston Patrick and Preston Richard. He also was a member of the Parliament in the time of Edward III. He had two sons, Sir Richard de Preston and Sir John de Preston.

The fourteenth generation, Sir Richard de Preston, left only daughters upon his decease. Margaret Preston married Alan Pennington. Through this marriage, the manor of Richard Preston was removed from the Preston family. Preston Patrick however, passed to his brother, Sir John de Preston.

Sir John de Preston was a judge of the Court of Commons Pleas under two monarchs, Henry IV and Henry V, from which position he was obliged to retire in 1427, because of infirmities of old age. He was the last of the 'de' Prestons and left issue.