This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the porter,' a carrier. the Frenchporteur. 'Portowre, portator': Promptorium Parvulorum (2) Offic. a door-keeper. the Frenchportier. 'Portere, janitor': Promptorium Parvulorum.

Francis le Porter, Close Rolls, 45 Henry III.

Robert le Porter, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard le Porter, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

William de Hodeles, portour, 21-2 Edward I: Freemen of York (Surt. Soc).

Albin le Portour. Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis.

Adam Porter, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Richard le Porter, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

1674. Buried — Mr. John Portter: St. Antholin (London).

From the office of porter, doorkeeper, or janitor of a castle or monastery. The porter was one of the most important officials connected with the castle or monastic institution. Lands and privileges were attached to the office, and in the case of a royal castle the position was often hereditary (see Dorward). The porter of a religious house was also the distributor of the alms of the convent, for the poor were always supplied "ad portam monasterii," at the gate of the monastery.

He also kept the keys and had power to refuse admission to those whom he deemed unworthy (Innes, Legal antiquities, p. 170). Radulfus the porter witnessed the gift of the church of Cragyn (Craigie) in Kyle to the monastery of Paisley, a. 1177 (RMP., p. 232), and c. 1180 Simon the porter witnessed a charter by William the Lion to Radulph de Graham (HMC., 2. Rep., App., p. 165). Reginaldus janitore witnessed a charter of Skibo between 1203-14, and between 1215-45 Helena, daughter of Roger "sometimes called Porter," sold a grange in Annandale to Robert de Brus, lord of Annandale (Bain, I, 1681). In 1261 Alexander III directed the sheriff and his bailies of Forfar to cause inquiry to be made . . . whether Margareta, Agnes, Swannoc or Suannoch ('swan neck'), Cristinia, and Mariota, daughters of the late Symon Gatekeeper of Monros (Montrose) are the lawful and nearest heirs of the said Symon in the lands of Inyanev and in the office of gate-keeper of the castle, and if the said deceased Symon died vest and seised as of fee of the said lands and office. The inquest found that a certain man named Crane had and held the foresaid lands hereditarily by gift of King William and died vest and seised of the said lands as of fee. And that the said Simon had the five daughters above named by two wives whom he had married, and that the said Crane, Swayn, and Symon never raised an army, or gave assistance or did anything else in the world for the said lands, except gate-keeper of our lord the king's castle of Montrose ("nec dederunt auxilium nec aliquid aliud in mundo pro dicta terra fecerunt nisi officium Janue Castri domini Regis de Munros"). And the jurors say that the said women are the lawful and nearest heirs of the said Simon (APS., I, p. 100). John the Porter of Linlithgow and Walter the Porter of Lanarkshire rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, p. 198,212). Robert Porter, dominus de Porterfield, in 1399 gave the monks of Paisley an annual rent of sixteen pennies from burgage tenements in Renfrew and also confirmed a former grant of his father, Stephen Porter (RMP., p. 374). John de Janua (door-keeper), a notary public in diocese of Glasgow, 1418 (CMN., 28), and Donald Portar had remission for his part in burning the town of Dunbertane in 1489 (Lennox, II, p. 133). During the incumbency of Abbot John Schanwell (1480-1509) a charter was granted "with consent of the whole convent, in favour of their lovite servant, John the Porter, whereby in consideration of his faithful service rendered to them in the office of portary of the monastery, which office also his progenitors held successfully and faithfully, and laudably guided, they grant to him and his heirs-male for ever, the said office, with all its rights, customs, and emoluments, both within and without the monastery" (Cupar-Angus, II, p. 292—293). Gaelic portair ( from English porter) has also the meaning of 'ferryman.' The Ciann a Phortair from whom the Macnaughtons in Glenlyon derive their designation was a ferryman (Folk tales and fairy lore, p. 322).

Porter is of course a well known English name but having regard not only to its numerical strength in Ireland to-day but also to its prominence in every aspect of Irish life since the Anglo-Norman invasion it must certainly be included in this series. Indeed there are few names which occur more widely in every kind of Irish record, legal, testamentary, diplomatic, military, medical and ecclesiastical (both Catholic and Protestant). These represent a wide distribution territorially. I will take a few examples.

There were five Porters among the Jacobites outlawed following the final defeat of James II in 1691: these came from Counties Meath, Kildare, Tipperary and Waterford; wills are most numerous in the dioceses of Derry, Raphoe, Cork, Waterford and Dublin; of the eleven Porters included in Crone's Concise Dictionary of Irish Biography five were born in the Derry-Donegal area, three in Dublin, two near Belfast and one in Meath-perhaps the most remarkable of them was Rev. James Porter (1753-1798) Presbyterian Minister who was publicly hanged for his part in the United Irishmen's insurrection of 1798 and whose son Alexander Porter (1796-1844) became an American senator of note; in one volume of the Ormond Deeds covering the years 1350 to 1413 there are thirteen Porters (mostly called le Porter, i.e. the doorkeeper mainly in Cos. Tipperary and Kilkenny. The place-name Porterstown is to be found in Co. Meath, Westmeath, Kildare and Dublin, while Portersland and Portersgate are in Co. Wexford. It is not possible here to do more than touch briefly on some aspects of the subject but this brief note will indicate that there is an exceptional amount of Porter material to be found in the usual sources for Irish historical and genealogical research.

(Anglo-French-Latin) 1 Porter, Carrier [French porteur; from porter, Latin portare, to carry] 2 Doorkeeper, Gatekeeper, Janitor [French portier, Latin portari-us; from Latin porta, a gate] Robert le Porter.—Hundred Rolls Albin le Portour.—Mun. Gildh. Lond.

Com forth, I wol unto the yate go; Thise porters [some MSS. portours] ben unconning [are stupid] evere mo.—Chaucer, Troil. & Cris., V. 1138-39.

Though essentially English there are few names which occur more widely in every kind of Irish record relating to all the provinces, except Connacht, from the thirteenth century to modern times. It is numerous now especially in Ulster. SIF 124

(English) One who carried goods; one who tended a gate, a gatekeeper.

The keeper of a door. Latin porta. The meaning was sometimes extended, and implied a castellan, or keeper of a castle. This was the case with the first of this name and family in Cornwall, who, in a dateless deed, of probably not later than the XIII. century, is styled Janitor de Trematon. He received a grant of lands from the Valletorts, then lords of Trematon, and those lands, situate just outside the venerable walls of that fine old feudal fortress, are still possessed by his descendants, who have ever since resided in the immediate vicinity. See C. S. Gilbert's Cornw. H.R. Portarius, Le Porter, &c.

Thomas, Engerran, Robert Portarius, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); Hugh, Roger, Thomas, William P. 1198 (Ib.); Godfrey, Simon Portar, Engl. 1189 (Rot. Pip.).

From the Dutch, Port, Poort, Poorter; from the German, Port; from the French, Portier; a personal name.

Porter: the gatekeeper. The family of Porter of Saltash is one of hereditary gatekeepers of Trematon Castle. The English of Porter is Durward.

Porter. —Not found in my list north of Lancashire and Lincolnshire, but scattered irregularly over the rest of England, being best represented in Somerset, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Rutlandshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Lancashire. This name was numerous in Cambridgeshire, Hunts, and Norfolk in the reign of Edward I (Hundred Rolls).