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Origins and Meaning |
Coat of Arms |
Ancient History |
Recent History |
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Resources
Download GEDCOM of my family tree [Last update: 7th February 2008]
Origins and Meaning
The English surname Dopson is a variant of the more familiar name Dobson - "p" and "b" being interchangeable in many surnames. Both of these names are of patronymic origin, meaning they are based on the first name of the father. During the middle-ages, as the system of surnames became more widespread, it was natural that children in the community should be known by their father's name. In this instance, the surname stands for "son of Dobbe", which was in turn, a nickname for Robert. In fact, the name Dobson is linked with the Scottish Robertson clan. The name Robert is of Anglo-Saxon origin and means "bright-fame".
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Coat of Arms
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Crest: Two lions gambs erased in saltire gules.
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Blazon of arms: Argent a fesse nebullee
between six fleurs-de-lis gules.
Translation: The fesse is a horizontal division
of a shield which represents the Girdle of
Honour worn in ancient times. The leaves of
the fleur-de-lis are said to be significant of
Faith, Wisdom and Valour.
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Motto: Sala Tartium.
Translation: That we might be saved.
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Ancient History
The Dobson name first appeared in ancient medieval records in Lancashire, England, in the 11th and 12th centuries.
From very early on the Dobson family not only held lands and estates in Lancashire but were also actively allied with other influential families. They also branched out into other territories and holdings.
There are records of the surname in England back to the fourteenth century. In 1327, one Henry Dobbesone was registered as living in Worcestershire (Subsidy Rolls). In 1356 there was a Roger Dobbessone living in Cheshire. In 1379, the poll tax returns for Yorkshire included one Isabella Dobson. And in the same year, poll tax returns for Marlebergh (Marlborough) show a Philip Dobbe.
My branch of the Dobsons appears to come from the
Ramsbury area in Wiltshire, at least that's where they were for a couple of generations.
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Recent History
According to
Genealogy Search Advice, today, over 26,200 people share the Dobson surname in the United States alone.
There are still Dopsons living in the village of
Ramsbury today. Although I have so far failed to find a link between my line and theirs, I feel it is only a matter of time.
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Current research
I am interested in any occurences of
Dopson/Dobson, but I would also like to hear about any other names involved in my family tree. So far, I have traced my family as far back as the marriage of William Dobson to Elizabeth Mildenhall in 1807 in the village of Shalbourne in Wiltshire. I have so far been unable to trace a birth for William, but I have a couple of candidates, which I am investigating at the moment. For most of the time between then and now, the family were in the small Wiltshire village of
Ramsbury. The Wiltshire Council's website have a large amount of information about Ramsbury itself. Click
here if you are interested in that part of the world.
If you have any information on any of the names mentioned in these pages, I would be grateful if you could get in touch by e-mailing me at
roland_dopson@hotmail.com. The smallest piece of information could be most useful. If you are a
Dopson/Dobson, or for some other reason you are interested in researching
Dobson/Dopson family history, feel free to get in touch as well.
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Resources
Download the file [Last update: 23rd January 2008]
One useful resource we have developed is an MS-Word document containing literally thousands of records of Dobson/Dopson, in chronolgical order. The file can also be arranged in order of christian name by selecting "Sort" from the "Table" drop-down menu at the top of the screen. You can download the most recent copy of this file by clicking on the link above. Please email me for more information or if you would like to receive an email from me each time I update this file.
Download a list of updates since 4/6/2007
N.B. Please note that any reference numbers, such as the St Caths ones could be incorrect and must be rechecked before placing any orders for certificates. Also there could be other errors within the file. Please email me if you notice any errors.
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Origins and Meaning |
Coat of Arms |
Ancient History |
Recent History |
Current Research |
Resources
