Show ContentsDorrington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Dorrington comes from the family having resided in the village of Dorrington, in the county of Lincolnshire. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Durrington, parishes in West Sussex and Wiltshire. In both cases the parishes are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Derintone and Derentune, respectively. The Wiltshire parish is unlikely as "this parish, which is situated on the river Avon, appears to have belonged in part, for centuries, to the family of Poore, descendants in a direct line from the founder of Salisbury Cathedral, " 1 but that leaves the West Sussex parish in question.

Interestingly, RAF Durrington was a World War II ground-controlled interception (GCI) radar station in Durrington, West Sussex. The station has been repurposed as Palatine School, a school for those with special educational needs.

Early Origins of the Dorrington family

The surname Dorrington was first found in Lincolnshire at Dorrington, a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district.

The village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed at Derintone and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Deora," from the Old English personal name + ing + tun. 2 Dorrington, Shropshire is a large village about 6 miles (10 km) south of Shrewsbury. This village dates back to 1198 when in was listed as Dodinton and has a similar origin and meaning as the latter entry.

Early History of the Dorrington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dorrington research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1654 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Dorrington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorrington Spelling Variations

Dorrington has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Dorrington, Dorington, Dorryngton, Doryngton and others.

Early Notables of the Dorrington family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Sir Edward Dorrington


Dorrington migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Dorringtons to arrive on North American shores:

Dorrington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Dorrington, who arrived in Maryland in 1655 3
  • Nicholas Dorrington, who landed in Maryland in 1661 3
  • Mary Dorrington, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 3
  • Francis Dorrington, who landed in Maryland in 1669 3
  • Richard Dorrington, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Dorrington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anne Dorrington, who landed in Virginia in 1703 3
  • William George Dorrington, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3
Dorrington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Dorrington, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 3
  • Joseph Dorrington, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1823 3

Dorrington migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dorrington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Dorrington (b. 1807), aged 22, Cornish settler convicted in Devon, UK on 13th January 1829, sentenced for 14 years, transported aboard the ship "Burrell" on 27th July 1830 to New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. John Dorrington, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 5
  • Mr. Francis Dorrington (b. 1803), aged 28, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 24th March 1831, sentenced for 7 years for stealing broadcloth and other articles from William Sowden, transported aboard the ship "Isabella" on 22nd November 1831 to New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Henry Dorrington, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eden" in 1838 6
  • James Dorrington, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Catherine" in 1851 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dorrington migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dorrington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Dorrington, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878
  • Mary Dorrington, aged 25, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878
  • Annie Dorrington, aged 7, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878
  • Frederick Dorrington, aged 3, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878
  • William Dorrington, aged 9 months, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Renfrewshire" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Dorrington (post 1700) +

  • William E Dorrington (1852-1926), English Chairman and Treasurer of the Manchester Royal Exchange Limited
  • John "Jack" Dorrington (1881-1944), English professional footballer
  • Paul Dorrington, English guitarist and bassist, best known for his work with the group The Wedding Present
  • Grant Stephen Dorrington OAM BEM (b. 1948), Australian rules football administrator
  • Art Dorrington (b. 1930), African Canadian professional NHL ice hockey center, the first black hockey player to sign an NHL contract in 1950
  • John Dorrington Apthorp CBE (1935-2024), British businessman specializing in frozen food and alcoholic beverages, founder of Wizzard Wines (now Majestic Wines) a chain of off-licences

HMS Dorsetshire
  • Dorrington, British aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 8


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EDEN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Eden.htm
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CATHERINE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Catherine.htm
  8. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html


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