DALLIN FAMILY HISTORY

This page is dedicated to the history of the branch of the Dallin family from the area around Ilfracombe and Berrynarbor, Devon

Although most surname commentaries attribute the origin of the Dallin(g) name to Norfolk, the distribution by 1881 tells a different story. By this date, the principal concentrations of the name away from London and the Home Counties were in Devon and (almost entirely in the Dalling form) in Scotland. This pattern probably suggests a number of alternative origins for the name, which remains relatively uncommon. A John Dalling was Sheriff of London in 1318-19.

A fairly sizeable Dallin family was flourishing in Berrynarbor, North Devon by the time of the commencement of parish registers there in the mid 16th century. This family continued to multiply and later spread to nearby Ilfracombe and thence to Newport, South Wales. William Dallyn had three sons baptised at Berrynarbor between 1553 and 1562, and an outline of his apparent descendant tree is attached. William's 3g-granddaughter Prudence Dallin married a Tobias (Toby) Dallin at Barnstaple in 1702, and Toby's line also extends backover in Berrynarbor to his grandfather Tobias Dallin who married there in 1624. This latter Tobias was almost certainly related to the older Dallin line, although no connection has so far been established, and a separate descendant tree for this line is also attached.

Tobias Dallin (1806-1891), a descendant of the Ilfracombe Dallins, emigrated to the USA with his four sons on the 'North Atlantic' in 1850, settling in Utah. His descendants include Cyrus Edward Dallin (1861-1944), the famous sculptor, and a number of the current North American Dallin families.

Anyone interested in further details of this branch of the Dallin family, or who is able to provide additional details relevant to this branch, is invited to contact the coordinator for this page Ian Hall.

This page was last updated 16 May 2007