Show ContentsDorwart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Dorwart family

The surname Dorwart was first found in the Valley of the River Dee, where they held a family seat in their territories. The Pictish influence on Scottish history diminished after Kenneth Macalpine became King of all Scotland.

But those east coast families still played an important role in government and were more accessible to Government than their western highland counterparts.

The family name became associated with the de Lundins. Whether the name was an office to which Alan Durward, son of de Lundin, succeeded in 1204, or whether it was a Norman noble, Reiner Dureward from Norfolk who moved north at this time conjectural.

However, Alan married an natural born daughter of King Alexander of Scotland and eventually became Regent and justicair of Scotland. He was immortalized by Walter Scott.

On his death his lands were divided between three daughters.

We do know he was better known by his Latin name at the time, Alanus Ostiarius, Hostiarius, Dyrwart 'Le Usher' and he died in 1268. He was the son of Thomas Ostiarius, who was a benefactor to the monks of Arbroath, and a signatory to at least one charter of Alexander II, dated between 1231 and 1233 A.D. 1

Later several lines descended in Scotland but the name continued to flourish to the south in Essex where Geoffrey Durward was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rols listed Richard Doreward in Essex. 2

Early History of the Dorwart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dorwart research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1465 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Dorwart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dorwart Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Dorwart has appeared as Dorward, Dorward, Durwood, Dorwood, Dyrwood, Dyrward, Dirward and many more.

Early Notables of the Dorwart family

More information is included under the topic Early Dorwart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dorwart migration to the United States +

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Dorwart or a variant listed above:

Dorwart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henrich Dorwart, aged 40, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Dorwart (post 1700) +

  • Pat Slattery Dorwart (b. 1943), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 2004, 2008 4


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  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. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, September 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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