Diana Whalley's "A Dictionary of Lake District Place-Names" has this name as either place-name "the shieling at the hollow" or "the shieling where the plant called dock grows", or a personal name which "may have been a link with the family traced in Parker 1918". Whalley also refers to "the same problematic syllable in Dockray and... Dockray Nook".
Population statistics
The population in 2001 was 55. By the next census in 2011, the population for the parish had more than quadrupled. The population fluctuations in Docker can be seen in the graph showing the census data every 10 years since 1801. There was no census taken in 1941. This is most likely to have been down to a change in the boundaries of the Parish. It may have been thought having a parish with a population of 55 was not significant enough and as a result the council may have changed the boundaries to even out the distribution. The population in 2011 is the highest it has ever been since records began in 1801. The male population for Docker was slightly higher than the female population according to the 2011 census. There was 135 males to 125 females. The number of people aged 16 and over with 5 or more GCSEs grade A-C was 10.63%, 4.67% lower than the national average.
Occupational statistics
In 2011 there were 161 residents in Docker that were between the ages of 16 and 74 and in employment. The occupations of the people usually resident at the time of the 2011 census between the ages of 16 and 74 are shown in the pie chart for 2011. The largest population percentage is Professional Occupations category with 23%. The percentage of Skilled Trades Occupations is well above the average for England of 11.4% compared to 17.4% in Docker. Docker is in the countryside so this is due to the thriving agricultural industry in the area. As a result, higher qualifications may be unnecessary for the industry in Docker.
Transport
Roads
The A65 road runs through Docker, connecting the A6 and the M6. The A65 runs North West from Leeds in Yorkshire through Ilkley and Skipton before terminating at Kendal in Cumbria. The M6 Motorway runs from To the East of Docker from Rugby via Stoke-on-trent, Liverpool and Manchester terminating at Gretna Junction.
Railway line
The nearest railway station to Docker is Kendal station which is 4.7 miles away. The TransPennine Express runs through Kendal from Windermere to Oxenholme, Lake District. Although Docker doesn't have its own railway station, Virgin West Coast Railine runs through Docker from London Euston to Glasgow. The trainline runs along the Docker viaduct. On 24 February 2007 a train was derailed 2 miles from Docker near to the village of Grayrigg. Several carriages were turned on their side after the 17:15 Virgin train travelling from London Euston to Glasgow Central crashed. Cumbria Ambulance service were alerted to the crash at 8.16 pm near Little Docker Cottage. An inquiry found the "immediate cause" of the Grayrigg derailment was due to a "degraded and unsafe" set of points known as Lambrigg 2B. The train was reported to have lurched side to side in "a very dramatic way," the train then careered down an embankment killing 84-year-old Margaret Masson and injuring 22 others. As the rear of the train was crossing the Docker Viaduct, the front of the train was derailed, just beyond the bridge. Thermal imagery equipment was used to detect any trapped survivors. Following the crash, the points that caused the derailment were removed and the line is now welded continuously including the segment on the Docker Viaduct.
Local Amenities
Docker is 6.5 miles South East of the popular holiday destination of the Lake District which is famous for its picturesque lakes, forests and mountains. The tallest Mountain in England Scafell Pike is located within the National Park. The Primary School closest to Docker is the Grayrigg CofE school which is 1.5 miles North West of Docker. The nearest Secondary School is the Queen Katherine School in Kendal which is a coeducational academy for 11- to 16-year-olds. It is 3.1 miles away. The nearest hospital is Westmorland General Hospital which is 6.3 km away from Docker on Burton Road in Kendal. The nearest major shopping area to Docker is the Westmoreland Shopping Centre in Kendal which is 4.7 miles South West of Docker.
