Duntion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Duntion comes from when the family resided in Dunton of which there are five parishes in England. Parishes can be found in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, Leicestershire and Essex. The last is of particular importance. Now known as Dunton-Waylett, it dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086. "At the time of the Norman survey, the manor of Dunton Hall belonged to Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux, by whom it was bestowed on the abbey of Bec, in Normandy; and on the suppression of alien priories it was granted to King's College, Cambridge."

The Waylett suffix like the suffix for Dunton-Basset (Leicestershire) were added later to denote the family who held their family seat there. Actually there are more entries in the Domesday Book that should be mentioned now: Dodintone, Buckinghamshire; Donitone, Bedfordshire; Dontuna, Norfolk; and Donitone, Leicestershire. All of these place names evolved to be known as Dunton. 1

The manor of Dunton, with Doughton was " given by Henry VII. to Ralph de Hauville, to be held by service of keeping the king's falcons; it passed in the reign of Elizabeth to Lord Chief Justice Coke." 2

As far as the etymology of the name, there are two schools of thought. The first is the it meant "farmstead on a hill," from the Old English "dun" + "tan." 3 The second was an "estate associated with a man called Dudda or Dodda," from the Old English personal name + "tun." 1

Early Origins of the Duntion family

The surname Duntion was first found in Norfolk where Gilbert de Dunton was registered in the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. The same source notes John de Dunton, Lincolnshire. 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Isabella de Dunton, Salop (Shropshire) and Jordan de Duntone, Oxfordshire. 5

The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire listed Richard de la Duntun in 1275 and Ralph de Dunton was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 6

Early History of the Duntion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duntion research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1400, 1593, 1659, 1660 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Duntion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duntion Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Duntion has been recorded under many different variations, including Dunton, Duntin and others.

Early Notables of the Duntion family

Distinguished members of the family include John Dunton (1659-1733), and English writer, publisher and bookseller; he produced a periodical called the Athenian Gazette. "His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all named John Dunton, and had all been clergymen. His father had been fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Duntion Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Duntion family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Duntion or a variant listed above: Andrew Dunton, who settled in Virginia in 1634; Thomas settled in Virginia in 1647; Robert settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; Robert Dunton arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1822..

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)