Dishington is a surname of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

origin. The name first arises in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

where they were seated as lords of the manor in the shire of Dissington, Northumberland. Spelling variations of this family name include: Dishington, Dischingtoun, Dissington, Dissyngton, Dyshington, Diston and many more.

History

Much of what is known of the early history of the Dishington family comes from a

monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...

by local historian Walter Wood entitled ''The East Neuk of Fife: its history and antiquities''. The family history begins with Sir William Dishington who is listed among the compatriots of

Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie (c. 1290–1342) (sometimes spelt: ''Dalwolsey'') was a Scottish nobleman and knight who fought for David II, King of Scots in the south of Scotland in the Second War of Scottish Independence. He is remembered ...

. Sir William married Elizabeth Bruce, daughter of

Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale Robert de Brus (July 1243 – before April 1304Richardson, Douglas, Everingham, Kimball G. "Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families", Genealogical Publishing Com, 2005: p732-3, ,link/ref>), 6th Lord of Annandale, ''jure ...

and sister of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...

(aka King Robert I). He held charters from King Robert and his son David II to the lands of Balglassie in

Aberlemno Aberlemno (, IPA: �opəɾˈʎɛunəx is a Civil parishes in Scotland, parish and small village in the Scotland, Scottish council area of Angus, Scotland, Angus. It is noted for three large carved Pictish stones (and one fragment) dating from t ...

and Tollyquhond in

Forfarshire Angus (; ) is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Main industries include agriculture and fishing. Global pharmaceuticals ...

. He died around 1360. Upon his death, Sir William's two sons split his estate: his son William (also styled Sir William Dishington) inherited the lands of Ardross, while John received lands in Longhermiston. William the younger was held in high honor at the court of Edinburgh, holding positions of honor including '' bachillanus seneschal'', ''Master of the Fabric'' of St. Mohan's Church, and in 1370, Sheriff of Fife. It is believed that William the younger was responsible for the construction of Ardross Castle. William had two children: son Thomas and daughter Elspath. The generations of Dishingtons continue as: * Thomas Dishington of Ardross: Received a charter in 1402 from Robert III in which he is still acknowledged as ''nepoti nostro'' (our family), indicating that the family ties to the royal family were still recognized two generations after William the Elder's marriage. * John Dishington, son of Thomas * Thomas Dishington, son of John: a captain at the Palace of St. Andrews * George Dishington, son of John and brother of Thomas * William Dishington, son of George:

fiar FIAR S.p.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Apparecchiature Radioelettriche) was an Italian avionics and radar manufacturer; the Eurofighter's current radar contains its technology. History It was formed on 31 July 1941, as a spin off from Compagnia Genera ...

of Ardross, slain at the

Battle of Pinkie Cleugh The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk, Lothian, River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the U ...

in 1547 * Paul Dishington of Ardross, son of William: had two daughters who, upon his death became wards of the second Earl of Arran, who married them to two members of his family * John Dishington also a son of William and brother of Paul, moved the family to the

Orkney Islands Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland ...

, where the family history is taken up by Buckham Hugh Hossack in his ''A Kirkwall in the Orkneys''.

In Orkney

John Dishington (son of William Dishington 6th of Ardross) was one of the

Gentleman Adventurers of Fife The Gentleman Adventurers of Fife or Fife Adventurers were a group of 11 noblemen-colonists, largely from eastern Fife, awarded rights from King James VI to colonise the Isle of Lewis in 1598. Background In 1597, the MacLeod clan chiefs were s ...

who, in 1597, attempted to seize the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...

from

Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod ( ; ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Harris and Dunvegan, known in Gaelic as ' ("seed of Tormod") an ...

after the latter's claim to the land was set aside owing to constant feuding of the clan with neighbors and amongst themselves. When the attempt failed, many of the Adventurers (Dishington included) retreated to Orkney. In Orkney, John found employment in the household of

Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney and Lord of Zetland (Shetland) (spring of 1533 – 4 February 1593) was a recognised illegitimate son of James V, King of Scotland, and his mistress Eupheme Elphinstone. Robert Stewart was half-brother to M ...

, where he served as commissary and

Sheriff of Orkney and Shetland The Sheriff of Orkney and Shetland, also known as the Sheriff of Orkney and Zetland, was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Orkney and Shetland, Scotland. The office was combined with the role in Shetland ...

, as well as attorney to Lord Robert. John's son Andrew served as master of the grammar school in Orkney, and Andrew's son James served the Stewart family as an agent in

Bergen, Norway Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

. James married and remained in Norway, beginning the Scandinavian branch of the Dishington name.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book , title=The East Neuk of Fife: its history and antiquities , first=Walter, last=Wood , year=1887 , publisher=D. Douglas , location=Edinburgh , url=https://archive.org/details/eastneukfifeits00woodgoog {{cite book , url=https://archive.org/details/kirkwallinorkne00hossgoog , title=Kirkwall in the Orkneys , first=Buckham Hugh, last=Hossack , publisher=W. Peace , year=1900 University of St. Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research Scottish families