Dutton and the variant/deviant spellings listed below are of interest as we attempt to confirm - or rule out - early relationships among the many Dutton lines.

There are two villages in England with the name of Dutton, one in Chesire, the other in Lancashire.

The former being a civil parish and village within the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located approximately 2 miles (3 km) east of Runcorn. Dutton is on the river Weaver and [was^[1]] home to Dutton Hall which was built in 1513. A viaduct of 20 arches, each 63 feet in span, and 60 feet high, takes the Grand Junction railway over Dutton Bottom, across the valley of the Weaver.^[2]

The latter being a civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in the English county of Lancashire, its principal settlement being the hamlet of Lower Dutton. The parish is northeast of Ribchester. It was part of Preston Rural District throughout its existence from 1894 to 1974. In 1974 the parish became part of Ribble Valley^[3].

Our surname could be derived from either of those two villages. Or it could be derived from a relationship with the Warburton family, which may lay claim back to Odard de Dutton of Cheshire. Much has been written about the Dutton connection to Odard. Many have said that there can be no connection because Odard’s line ended with a female in Britain circa the early 1600s. But prior to the end of Odard’s line, one of his descendants took the name of Warburton. Some of us are looking for a subsequent Warburton who could have reverted back to using the Dutton name.

We have not found that connection yet. However, a few of us Duttons have a proven genetic connection to the Warburton family.

Some matches have occurred which confirm relationships that are supported by solid documentation.

For other Dutton lines, Y-DNA matches have provided the much needed scientific proof of a common ancestor which cannot otherwise be proven due to the lack of paper records.

The Dutton Y-DNA Project seeks to prove descent from common ancestors and thus provide pointers for further research in a focused area.

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG): ISOGG is dedicated to promoting the use of genetics for genealogy. To learn more, visit the ISOGG website at http://www.isogg.org or contact isogg@msn.com.

[1] Dutton Hall was moved from Cheshire to Sussex circa 1933,now Stoke Brunswick School (Dutton-Homestall) in East Grinstead, Sussex. DuntonFamily Organization, link:  http://www.dunton.org/duttonhall/news4.html 

[2] Wikipedia® article “Dutton, Cheshire”, link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutton,_Cheshire

[3] Wikipedia® article “Dutton, Lancashire”, link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutton,_Lancashire