ANCIENT ENGLISH & IRISH ROOTS OF MARYLAND DAWSONS

At the time of the Norman Conquest, ARCHIBALD DAWSON of Saxon blood was a holder of land at GREYSTOKE in CUMBERLAND COUNTY, ENGLAND. Today the area lies in CUMBRIA amid WESTMORELAND's fells and dales. Greystoke lies just northwest of PENRITH, site of a 14th Century castle built to defend ENGLAND against the SCOTS during BORDER WARS. Warning fires were lit atop Beacon Hill tower to warn border men of impending attack by Scots.[1]

ARCHIBALD DAWSON married a daughter of THOMAS NEVILLE of HORNBY CASTLE, a Norman knight. By his marriage alliance, he continued to hold his land. Hornby Castle lies s.w. of LANCASTER on Morecambe Bay, north of PRESTON in County Lancashire. Dawson of Greystoke played a role in border wars between England & Scotland. BERTRAM DAWSON, 7th in descent from Archibald, accompanied the Black Prince to France. Bertram married into the CLARE family siring Sir ROGER DAWSON, Knight of Dalstone. Sir Roger married a daughter of Sir Simon Montford; his son BERTRAND DAWSON married a daughter of the LEWIS family and sired eleven sons! The eldest, SIMON DAWSON, sired BARTHOLOMEW DAWSON, father of RALPH DAWSON, gateway ancestor and progenitor of the DAWSONS OF TALBOT COUNTY, MARYLAND.[2]

BERTRAM DAWSON's fourth son, RICHARD DAWSON of Spaldington, Yorkshire, married ANNE LOWTHER, daughter of a Knight of Westmoreland County. WILLIAM DAWSON, their son, was first member of the family in IRELAND - a collector of revenue for County Down & Antrim & port of Carrickfergus during reign of Charles II. Some Dawsons from this family removed to Pennsylvania around 1718 to 1750. The ancestors of the Irish peer, THOMAS DAWSON, removed from York in Westmoreland toward the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to become Burgesses of Armaugh.[3]

The English Dawson family was long seated at Acornbank in Parish of Sowerby, Westmoreland. They became established in IRELAND at the beginning of 17th Century when THOMAS & ROBERT DAWSON, sons of CHRISTOPHER DAWSON, Esq., of Acornbank settled in Ireland. The younger son, Dr. ROBERT DAWSON, was Bishop of Clonfert in 1627. The elder son, THOMAS DAWSON, went to Ireland in 1601 from Temple Sowerby, Westmoreland, & purchased land for CASTLE DAWSON in 1633 in County Londonderry.[4]

DAWSON FAMILY of MARYLAND derive their descent from BERTRAM DAWSON of Greystoke. In almost all branches of the Dawson family, tradition agrees three or four brothers arrived in the VIRGINIA COLONY, but left Virginia for MARYLAND, Lord Baltimore's colony, because of persecution of the Virginia Puritans, styled dissenters. They would not pay taxes for support of Anglican Church. JOHN, NICHOLAS, RALPH & WILLIAM Dawson came to Talbot & Prince George COs by way of Virginia from WHITEHAVEN in County Cumberland, England. RALPH DAWSON settled in TALBOT CO; JOHN & NICHOLAS DAWSON in PRINCE GEORGE CO; WILLIAM DAWSON on KENT ISLAND with William Claiborne in 1631.[5][6]

Dr. Thomas Sears of Md. Historical Society conjectured WILLIAM DAWSON was possibly the father of Ralph Dawson.[7] William Dawson's will written Dec. 19, 1666, probated July 21, 1668, in Dorchester County, does not mention Ralph Dawson. William Dawson mentioned sons ANTHONY & WILLIAM DAWSON Jr, Samuel Abbott Sr., daughters JANE & JOICE DAWSON, Samuel Abbott Jr., and Anthony Cox, the son of Joseph Cox.[8] Captain Anthony Dawson contracted to build the courthouse in Cambridge, reneged on the contract, and left the county in disgrace. He removed to North Carolina around 1687; further account of him can be found in colonial records of North Carolina. [9]

No link between the William Dawson family of Dorchester 1668 to the Ralph Dawson family of Talbot can be proven at this time. Two related Dawson families, John Dawson of the Western Shore & Ralph Dawson of the Eastern Shore, were said by many genealogists to be allied by marriage to the powerful Lowe & Doyne families. Recently published genealogies on the Dawsons of Talbot and the Doyne family of Prince George add further documentaton for those seeking their MARYLAND HERITAGE.[10].

DAWSON COLONIAL IMMIGRANTS    Return to Main Page

Bibliography & Footnotes:

  1. "Touring Guide to Britain," Readers Digest Press, p. 196.
  2. "Register of Md. Heraldic Families," Alice Parran, Vol. 2, p. 77.
  3. "Royal Families of England, Scotland, & Wales" by Burke; and "Thompson, Dawson, Mendenhall, Harlan Genealogy of Ireland, England, Canada, to PA, OH & KS," Laura Jones Thomspon, privately printed by Bates Assoc, St. Petersburg, FL, 1974, pp.134-138.
  4. " Early Records of Simpson Family," Helen A. Simpson, Lib. of Congress CS 71-S-59-1927, p. 134a in "Thompson, Dawson, et al," by Thompson.
  5. "Sears Papers," Dr. Thomas E. Sears of Baltimore, Md; MHS library.
  6. "The Dawson Collection," Charles C. Dawson, Higginson Book Co. reprint, 1994, originally pub. 1874, chapters as follows: "Family of Ralph Dawson of Talbot Co Md," pp. 215-288; "Family of Nicholas Dawson of Talbot co Md," pp. 302-303; "Family of John Dawson of Prince George Co Md," pp. 229-268.
  7. "Papers of Charles Merrick Reeder & Ida Muir on Nicholas Dawson," Family Files of Dorchester Co Hist. Soc, Dor Co Public   Library.
  8. "First Dorchester Families," Calvin W. Mowbray, FLP, 1994, p. 26; Dorchester Co Md Will Bk 1, pg. 327.
  9. "Colonial Residents of North Carolina," Wm. S. Price, ed. 1974, p. 43
  10. "Early Families of Southern Md," Vol I, Elise G. Jourdan, Family Line Pub., 1993, pp. 155-176 "Nicholas Dawson mar. Mary Doyne ; "Colonial Families of Eastern Shore of Md," Vol 3, Robert W. Barnes & F. Edward Wright. Fam. Line Pub., 1997, pp. 105-115.