It seems strange, but there was a family of Crathornes thriving in Portugal in the 1700s.  The first recorded event is the marriage of Joseph Crathorne to Elizabeth Hunt in Lisbon on 19 November 1741.  Joseph and Elizabeth went on to have six children, all christened at the British Factory Chaplaincy in Lisbon.  And it seems that the word 'Factory' simply means an establishment for traders carrying on business in a foreign country or a merchant company's trading station. A chaplaincy attached to the Lisbon Factory was established in the mid 17th century, with the first chaplain being appointed in 1654. 

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Son Jonathan married Catherine Bennett in 1785 but sadly 4 of their 5 children died in childhood, and there's no information about the remaining daughter Mary Elizabeth.  So it seems the Crathorne line was short-lived.

As to where they come from, there is a clue in their names, as a Captain Jonathan Crathorne was a wine trader in the mid 1700s, sailing between England, Portugal and Philadelphia where he married Mary Keene in 1760.  Captain Jonathan and Mary's three children were called Joseph, Mary and Dorothy...  but there's a bit more research before these Crathornes are tied up!

If you know more about your Crathorne relatives in Portugal, please click here