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Deorc

Discussion of the name

The name Deorc appears to be the OE word deorc, meaning ‘dark’. The semantic range of the adjective covered mainly negative qualities (obscure and gloomy; sad and cheerless; sinister and wicked), but perhaps the name was taken to mean simply dark physical features. On a wider front than TRE landowners, the name was evidently common enough for it to give rise to the surname Dark in several different parts of the country (Reaney 1997: 126).

No other Deorc is recorded in PASE.

Bibliography

Reaney 1997: P. H. Reaney, A Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd edn with corrections and additions by R. M. Wilson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997)

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Derch

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Deorc

  Phillimore edition: Derch

  Alecto edition: Deorc

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire	Phil. ref.	Vill	DB Spelling	Holder 1066	Lord 1066	Tenant-in-Chief 1086	1086 Subtenant	Fiscal Value	1066 Value	1086 Value	Conf.	Show on Map
Shire Cheshire	Phil. ref. 8,14	Vill Church Minshull	DB Spelling Derch	Holder 1066 Deorc ‘of Minshull’	Lord 1066 -	Tenant-in-Chief 1086 Hugh, earl	1086 Subtenant William Malbank	Fiscal Value 0.50	1066 Value 0.10	1086 Value 0.20	Confidence -	Map
Shire Cheshire	Phil. ref. 8,28	Vill Batherton	DB Spelling Derch	Holder 1066 Deorc ‘of Minshull’	Lord 1066 -	Tenant-in-Chief 1086 Hugh, earl	1086 Subtenant William Malbank	Fiscal Value 0.25	1066 Value 0.15	1086 Value 0.08	Confidence -	Map
Totals								Fiscal Value	1066 Value	1086 Value

People of this name

• Deorc 2 - Deorc ‘of Minshull’ (Ches.), fl. 1066