It seems probable that the Robert de Dufton recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1176, was one of the very first people to bear the name Dufton.  History would indicate that perhaps his father was in fact the first Dufton.  The tradition of using 'place' surnames to indicate hereditary land ownership was a Norman invention.  First, the land was acquired, then a son inherited it and began using the prefix 'de', as in de Dufton.  Finally when the land and title passed to his son the surname became a family name.

Robert de Dufton recorded in1176

Due to the remoteness of Cumbria very little of the area was settled by the Normans until well after 1100.  Hence, the name Dufton was probably first taken at some time between 1100 and 1176.  The name does not appear on the few surviving pieces of 1130 Pipe Rolls for Westmorland, which narrows the period to when the name Dufton was first used to between 1130 and 1176.

An important event in English, and especially Cumbrian history, was the sinking of the White Ship.  On the night of the 25th November 1120, off the coast of France, the White Ship sank drowning not only Prince William, the future king, but many of the royal household, including the Earl of Chester.  Ranulph de Mechines, the Lord of Cumbria, then inherited the Earldom of Chester, and King Henry took back control of Cumbria for himself.   King Henry had been greatly concerned by the power exerted by the warlord Ranulph in Cumbria, and by the local unrest that had plagued his time there.  The Scots were no longer a problem as Henry had a good relationship with his brother-in law the King of Scotland.  The king divided Cumbria in to various smaller baronies, he tended to favour local Anglo-Saxon or Norse  families as the new land owners in Cumbria.  He thought this would ensure loyalty from the local population, and in those troubled times he could not afford unrest in the distant north.  Records indicate that Cumbria was not functioning as a proper shire, and was in need of developing.  King Henry travelled to Cumbria in about 1130, and much of his reorganising was completed around this time, the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland came into being during this period.  Various writ charters of around 1140 indicate that much of the land and manors around the village of Dufton had been recently granted to local Anglo-Saxon and Norse families.  Culgaith, just north of Dufton was the property of Adam FitzSweyne a Saxon lord.  Edenhall, Brougham, Kirby Stephen and Greystoke are all recorded as being in the hands of local lords.  So, history suggests that the name Dufton may have originated at some time between 1130 and 1140.


Dufton crest of 1174
But who were Robert de Dufton's ancestors?  As yet this still remains rather unclear, but there are various possibilities, and two of these are worth serious consideration.

Firstly, some detailed and very impressive research by Professor Richard Dufton suggests that Robert de Dufton was a descendant of Eldred, the second Baron of Kendal, and of his son, Ketel FitzEldred the third Baron of Kendal.  William FitzKetel was Ketel's youngest son, his name and his father's name appear on a grant of land between 1120 and 1130.  It is suggested that around this time William is given the manor of Dufton.  William's son Nicholas inherits the manor of Dufton and takes the name Nicholas de Dufton, to establish and demonstrate his possession.  Nicholas's son, Ranulph de Dufton inherits the manor, and is followed by his son Robert de Dufton born about 1150.  This is the Robert de Dufton that appears on the 1176 Pipe Roll of Westmorland.

The keep at Appleby castle.
Robert de Dufton was fined in 1174 by King HenryII
for not defending the castle.

However, another possibility is that the Dufton family are in fact a branch of the Greystoke family. The family of the fictional character Tarzan.  Various documents indicate that the fortunes and misfortunes of the Dufton family are linked to the Greystokes.

History shows that Lyulf, a Norse chief, was the most visible man among the Cumbrian lords during the early Anglo-Norman period.  He held land in Cumberland, Yorkshire, Northumberland and Westmorland, and was granted the lordship of Greystoke by Ranulph de Meschines.  His eldest son Phorne was his successor, he became the second baron of Greystoke, and had all the lands he inherited confirmed by King Henry in about 1130.  Phorne’s successor was his eldest son Ivo, the third baron of Greystoke, born about 1093.  And, it was a William de Greystoke, the ninth baron of Greystoke, who in about 1235 holds the various manors once held by the Duftons.

Records show that the Westmorland manor of Brampton, the manor next to the manor of Dufton, was held in the late 1100s by 'fief of Greystoke' by Ranulph de Brampton a younger son of Ranulph of Greystoke, the grandson of Ivo de Greystoke.  This is the same period when the manor of Dufton is held by Robert de Dufton.  So is the situation at Dufton similar to that at Brampton where the manor is held by a younger Greystoke son who has taken the name of his estate? And are Ranulph de Brampton and Robert de Dufton brothers or cousins, the sons of Greystoke fathers?

Although ownership of most of the land in Anglo-Norman Westmorland is well documented, it remains unclear exactly what land the Greystokes held in the county.  But, records do show that Ivo de Greystoke's son did own Knock, Yanwath and Brampton manors all very near Dufton, and which a few years later would belong to John de Dufton.  Also, records do indicate that at this time Brampton, Dufton, Bolton and Yanwath are not held separately by the barony of Westmorland but held as tenure by the family of Greystoke, and that at one time Dufton village was part of Brampton Manor.
In conclusion, the suggestion being made is that the Dufton family may stem from a younger son of Ivo de Greystoke, the third baron, 
or perhaps more intriguingly from a Greystoke daughter as there are records of them being given land as a marriage portion. 
We also know that Edith de Greystoke, Ivo's daughter, was the mistress of King Henry and the mother of at least one of his sons!

Mediaeval documents record William de Dufton applying for a writ in a dispute over land in Appleby in 1198.  Also, Robert de Dufton being summoned for court service in 1199.  His son John de Dufton held in capite, from the crown, the barony of Dufton which included the manors of Dufton, Knock, Keisley, Brampton, Bolton and Yanwath all in Westmorland.  There is apparently, a state document of 1173 that describes the arms granted to William de Dufton son of Ranulph de Dufton. However, the accuracy of the document still needs to be confirmed.  But it does allow us to draw a possible family tree for these early Duftons.

But it would be fascinating to learn a little more about these first Duftons, especially about 'Baron' John de Dufton. 
Perhaps  events at the start of the 1200s could be used to draw some conclusions.  In 1204 King John of England granted the Barony of Westmorland to Robert de Veteripont, a descendant of the Morville family, the past barons of Westmorland and landowners in the Eden valley.   In an attempt to raise funds for a war against France to recover his lost lands, King John had overtaxed his subjects, he also demanded his barons joined him in France to do battle.  In events that lead to the Magna Carta, the so called 'Northerner' barons rebelled against the king's demands, and civil war followed.   By all accounts Robert de Veteripont was a ruffian, plunderer and murderer, at a time when the king's hold over England  was being threatened by the rebellious barons, Robert had remained loyal to his monarch and fought alongside him, and had been well rewarded.  But Robert had a rival claimant to the barony, one with a much stronger claim, he was Alan, Lord of Galloway the Constable of Scotland, also a descendant of the Morvilles.  In preparation for the inevitable attack from the Scottish Lord, Robert de Veteripont began to take defensive measures and spent much of his fortune in the process.   Just a few miles north of Dufton village he built Brougham castle, where the main road from Scotland crossed the river Eamont and river Lowther.  South of the river the road divides, one branch leads to Kendal and on to Lancashire, the other along the Eden valley and over Stainmoor to Yorkshire.  John de Dufton held the manor of Yanwath which is next to Brougham castle and through which runs the Kendal road, he also held the manors of Bolton and Brampton which straddled the road over Stainmore.

 So, what qualities would the fierce, ruthless warlord Baron of Westmorland demand from the person responsible for protecting the rear of his castle from attack by the Scots or the rebellious barons?  We can only surmise.


Brougham castle, north of Dufton, defended by John de Dufton in 1216

The attack came in 1216, Alan of Galloway was victorious, he overran the Eden Valley, and became the Baron of Westmorland and Governor of Cumbria for King Alexander of Scotland.  The Scottish king, encouraged by the rebel barons, had at last brought Cumbria and Northumbria under Scottish control.  And Dufton village was back under the control of Scotland.  Support from the local Cumbrian barons was equally divided between Alan of Galloway, the new baron of Westmorland and Robert de Veterpoint, the replaced baron.  But King Alexander was eventually bought off with an earldom and marriage to the English King's sister.   Cumbria and Dufton were finally returned to English control,  and Robert de Veteripont returned to reclaim the Barony of Westmorland. 

John de Dufton died before 1235, and the good fortunes of the Dufton family he left behind were about to decline.

The Westmorland Eyres, which include the Appleby Assizes of 1253, record an inquest that occurred regarding a dispute over 200 acres of pastureland near the village of Dufton.  Alan de Dufton and Bernard de Dufton, probably John's sons, along with William de Greystoke, all landowners, are accused of taking the land for their own use whilst it belonged to various other villagers.  The court records that the manor of Dufton was held by William de Greystoke's mother. Another inquest in 1289 confirms that the manor of Dufton belonged to William de Greystoke, and he had inherited the estate from Lady Leyburn, the daughter and heir of Robert de  Veterpoint the Baron of Westmorland.  This implies that after John de Dufton's death before 1235 the manor and barony of Dufton were no longer held by the Dufton family, but had been taken by the Veteripont and Greystoke families. Although, the Duftons own land in the village that bears their name they no longer enjoy the benefits of holding the manor. John appears to have left a large family behind on his death, possibly five sons and a daughter.  The eldest of John's sons was Robert de Dufton, undoubtedly the 'black sheep' of the family, which may well be another reason that he did not inherit the manor from his father.

The Appleby Assizes of 1279 record several serious incidents concerning Robert and the Duftons. It records that John of Knock killed with a sword Robin Bule in Dufton, and that as William de Dufton did not attend the inquest as required he was thus suspected of being involved in the crime.  The responsibility of bringing William to the court fell upon Thomas son of Hugh de Dufton, who was fined 50 pence for William's disappearance.  At the same inquest, Robert son of John de Dufton was accused of stabbing with a knife and killing Marjery de Brampton, daughter of Beatrice de Brampton in the village of Brampton.  Robert fled and was declared an outlaw in the county of Westmorland, and his goods seized.  Robert was recorded as living in Cumberland in 1281. The Closed Rolls of 1283 record that on 22 March, King Edward declared that the sheriff of Westmorland was to take two bovates of land from Robert, the son of John de Dufton, who had been an outlaw for felony for more than a year and a day.  Records suggest that Robert may have crossed the border into Scotland and assisted in the fight against King Edward, 'the Hammer of the Scots'.

 Robert's son Humphrey de Dufton was hanged, a court document of 1292 records the proceedings in which Humphrey, and other felons who had been hanged or beheaded, were to have their possessions disposed of.  John, the tenth baron of Greystoke, claimed all of Humphrey's goods. History records that when King Edward returned from his crusade in the Holy Land, he discovered tenants in capita and others had considerably diminished his revenue.  He appears to have been extremely severe with his Cumbrian subjects, who displayed little loyalty to their distant king who was often abroad, of Norman descent, and spoke French as his first language. The people of Westmorland had far more in common with their Scottish neighbours, and family links formed endless chains.  In fact many of the Scottish royal family were descendants of English and French families from the midlands of England who had acquired land in Scotland and the borders from the Scottish King David.

However, the manor of Keisley was to remain in the hands of John's daughter Eleanor de Dufton, she was to marry into the influential D'Aubeny family, when she wed Robert D'Aubeny, she died in 1311. Their daughter also an Eleanor, married Nicholas Veteripont, and remained at Keisley until her death in 1367.   Nicholas was the wealthy lord of Alston Manor and owned all the mines in that region. Their two daughters, Elizabeth born 1346 and Joan born 1349 both remained at Dufton. 

The outlawed Robert de Dufton had other sons, besides Humphrey, there was a son Nicholas de Dufton who remained at Dufton as a farmer. 

Richmond is only a day's walk or ride from the village of Dufton. It would seem possible that Master Robert de Dufton may well be a grandson of John de Dufton whose family were still living in the village of Dufton.
  The records from York Minster, beside listing Master Robert de Dufton in the 1320s, also list a Thomas de Dufton who was a freeman of the city of York in the years between 1340 and 1350.  It seems probable that these Duftons are the ancestor of those many members of the Dufton family that have their origins in Yorkshire.

The word barony in Norman times normally means a land owner, rather than referring to nobility.  The Testa de Neville of 1235 which listed all the barons and nobles of that time made no record of the name Dufton.  This suggests that even though at one time the Duftons held the barony of Dufton and various other manors, the family were of a minor status than the ruling nobles, very much towards the bottom of the nobility league table. 

The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, which records those required to pay a tax, levied by Edward III to boost his war chest, lists two Duftons.  Both are living in the Eden valley, Thomas de Dufton living in the village of Ousby and another Thomas living in Penrith.

The 1324 Rolls also record that much of Dufton was set ablaze when it was attacked by the Scots.  The manor house and other capital messauges were destroyed.
There are various Inquisitiones Post Mortems between 1362 and 1377 that give details of the Dufton family farming in Dufton village at this time.  An inquest at Appleby in 1363 dealt with the issue of rent from the village of Dufton.  One of the issues was that of John de Dufton, son of Adam de Dufton, son of Nicholas de Dufton, who had a farm of 24 acres in the village of Dufton.  Research indicates that this Nicholas is probably the son of the outlawed Robert de Dufton. The will of the rector of Dufton proved 6th November 1366 names Andrew de Dufton and his brother Adam de Dufton, Andrew is left 4 shillings by the rector.  The last record of a mediaeval Dufton found so far is that of John de Dufton who seems to have moved from Dufton, and in 1381 holds the manor of Clifton and is in possession of neighbouring land. 

There are no further records found as yet of the Dufton family living in Westmorland or Cumberland until a William Dufton, in the early 1500s, is recorded living at Melkingthorpe which is less than a mile away from Clifton.  All the Dufton families with links to Cumberland, Westmorland, Northumberland and Durham can trace their family back to this William Dufton in the early part of the 1500s.

However, the National Archive hold a 15th century deed for a dwelling called Belfold at Butterwicke, the dwelling belonged to John the son of Nigel de Dufton.
There is a Butterwick in Westmorland, this is deep in the middle of 'Dufton territory' between Helton and Bampton, less than 2 miles from Askham, and about 3 miles from Clifton where John Dufton was living in 1381, and 3 miles from Melkinthorpe where William Dufton lived in the early 1500s.
So is it possible that this John and Nigel de Dufton may belong to Cumbria? And thus provide a link between the mediaeval Duftons and later Dufton families.

Dufton Family Website