Dayrell/Darrell/Dairel Families

by E. Henry Dorrell

For several centuries, from as early as the 12th, there were Dayrell/Darrell/Dairel families living in Buckinghamshire, England. One of the main locations was Lillingstone (Lelinchestane in the Domesday Book, 1086 AD) to which their name was added at the beginning of the 14th century, making it Lillingstone Dayrell.

In the church is a brass monument with an inscription (in latin), "Here lie Paul Dayrell, Knight, and Margaret his wife; this Paul died on the 29th. day of March in the year of our Lord 1491."

During the reign of Edward VI (1547-1553), when the Puritans were in power, every parish church was compelled to hand over its precious possessions to the King's commissioners. In 1553, some ornaments were returned to the churches and the list of those returned to Lillingeston(e) Dayrell, under the heading of Lillingeston Darrell, can be seen in the Public Record Office (PRO) in London. Receipt of these was acknowledged by Paul Darrell the elder.

The mother of King Edward VI was the granddaughter of Sir George Darrell of Littlecote in Wiltshire.

A chalice of silver gilt dated 1604 and a silver paten dated 1663, engraved with the arms of the Dayrells, were given to the church about 1812 by Richard Dayrell. His brother was the rector there at the time. The church also had an old pulpit cloth embroidered with the Dayrell arms, with the words "Doe Well" and a scroll bearing the legend: "Donum Magister Thom. Dayrell Armiger, 1659". (The gift of Master Thom. Dayrell, Knight, 1659.)

There is a tomb of Paul Dayrell who died in 1556 and his third wife Dorothy who died 1571. On the sides are shields and the kneeling figures of their nine sons and six daughters. Another inscription states that Mrs. Frances Wilkes, daughter of Peter Dayrell, departed this life Dec., 14th 1674.

The list of Rectors of Lillingstone Dayrell, 1233-1840, held in the Lincoln Diocesan Office, includes 1233 Laurence Dairel; 1564 George Dayrell; 1656 Anthony Dayrell; 1715 Thomas Dayrell; 1754 Richard Dayrell; and 1781 John Langham Dayrell. Another Richard Dayrell was Rector in 1872.

Undoubtedly the Dayrell (Dairel, Darel, Darrell, etc.) families of Buckinghamshire; Kent; Yorkshire; Wiltshire; and Cornwall in England have descendants with various spellings of the name living in different parts of the world today.

Years ago, when few people could read or write names in Parish Registers, even members of the same family were recorded differently, e. g., James Dorrill married Mary Battin at Dorney, Buckinghamshire on 1 January 1727; James Dorrell married Mary Webb at Dorney, Buckinghamshire on 22 November 1756.