In 1951, he married Rachel Dodd, daughter of the eminent theologian C. H. Dodd whose work on the translation of the New English Bible Heaton much admired.
Notable works by Heaton
The Book of Daniel - Introduction and Commentary (1956)
Everyday Life in Old Testament Times (1956)
The Old Testament Prophets (1958)
Commentary on the Sunday Lessons — New Lectionary Year One (1959)
The Hebrew Kingdoms (1968)
Solomon's New Men: The Emergence of Ancient Israel as a National State (1974)