Contents [hide]

Barnfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Barnfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Today Barnfield is a ward and area in Luton, England and home to Barnfield College.

Early Origins of the Barnfield family

The surname Barnfield was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Barnfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnfield research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1241, 1396, 1455, 1472, 1487, 1510, 1574, 1600, 1605 and 1627 are included under the topic Early Barnfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barnfield Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Barnfield family name include Barnfield, Barnefield, Bornfield, Bernfield and many more.

Early Notables of the Barnfield family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Barnfield (1574-1627), from Norbury, Staffordshire, an English poet, a rival to William Shakespeare who many believe is mentioned in Shakespeare's sonnets

Barnfield migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Barnfield surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Barnfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Barzillar Barnfield, aged 48, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 1

Barnfield Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert James Barnfield, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States from Nailsworth, England, in 1907
Alice Barnfield, aged 35, who settled in America from Brasfod, England, in 1907
Alice Barnfield, aged 35, who landed in America from Nailozorth, England, in 1907
Benj. R Barnfield, aged 36, who immigrated to America from London, in 1907
Alice Barnfield, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Hadsworth, England, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Barnfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barnfield Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Barnfield, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
James Barnfield, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
Hanah Barnfield, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Barnfield Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Edward Henry Barnfield, aged 36, who immigrated to Hamilton, Canada, in 1913

Barnfield migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Barnfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Francis Barnfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1840 2
Robert Barnfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1849 3
Robert Barnfield, aged 28, a publican, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Brankenmoor" 3
Jane Barnfield, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Coromandel" 4

Barnfield migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Barnfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William J. Barnfield, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Parsee" in 1873
Samuel Barnfield, aged 39, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
Arthur Barnfield, aged 8, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
Walter Barnfield, aged 5, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Barnfield (post 1700) +

Robert C. Barnfield (1856-1893), English painter from Gloucester who relocated to New Zealand in 1883 because of his asthma
Kacey Louisa Barnfield (b. 1988), English actress, best known for her role as Maddie Gilks in the BBC television series Grange Hill
Graham Barnfield (b. 1969), British academic and pundit

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Rajasthan.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The BRANKEN MOOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849BrankenMoor.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 9th January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Coromandel 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/coromandel1855.shtml