The square is named for John Dalton, who developed the site in the late 18th century.

The Friary church is buried beneath Sulyard Street, while its cemetery is located between Sulyard Street and Moor Lane,[1] a few yards further north.

2 Dalton Square, on its northern side, which was once the home of Dr Buck Ruxton, who killed his wife and servant in 1935.

[1] In the centre of the square is the Queen Victoria Monument, which was donated to the City of Lancaster by James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton, in 1907.

[1] Lancaster Town Hall, completed in 1909 in the Baroque Revival style, overlooks the square from the south.