Cornforth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornforth is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in or near the settlement of Cornford in the county of Durham. Thus, the surname Cornforth belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Cornforth family

The surname Cornforth was first found in Durham, where the name is associated with the township of Cornforth, sometimes known as Cornforth, in the parish of Bishop's Middleham.

Early History of the Cornforth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cornforth research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1242, 1339, 1469, 1514, 1798 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Cornforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornforth 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 Cornforth family name include Cornforth, Cornford, Carnforth, Carnford, Corneford, Cornefurth, Corneforth, Cornfoot and many more.

Early Notables of the Cornforth family

More information is included under the topic Early Cornforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cornforth 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 Cornforth surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Cornforth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. H. Cornforth, aged 40, originally from London, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Teutonic" from Liverpool & Queenstown 1
Mrs. M. Cornforth, aged 32, originally from London, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Teutonic" from Liverpool & Queenstown 1
Miss. Bertha Cornforth, aged 15, originally from London, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Teutonic" from Liverpool & Queenstown 1

Cornforth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alfred Cornforth, originally from L'pool, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Lapland" from Liverpool, England 1
Florence May Cornforth, aged 11, originally from Bartlebury, England, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 1
Alfred Cornforth, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Canopic" from Liverpool, England 1
Alfred Cornforth, aged 26, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Canopic" from Liverpool, England 1
John William Cornforth, aged 34, originally from Bradford, England, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Imperator" from Liverpool, England 1

Cornforth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cornforth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Paul Cornforth who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
William Cornforth, aged 34, who arrived in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774

Cornforth 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:

Cornforth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Cornforth, (b. 1833), aged 29, English farm labourer from Yorkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 2
Mrs. Mary Ann Cornforth, (b. 1840), aged 22, English settler from Yorkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 2
Mr. John Dewsbury Cornforth, (b. 1855), aged 7, English settler from Yorkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 2
Mr. Herbert Cornforth, (b. 1856), aged 6, English settler from Yorkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd May 1862 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Cornforth (post 1700) +

Arthur Cornforth (1861-1938), American politician, 14th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado in 1905
Fanny Cornforth (1835-1909), English artist's model and mistress of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossett
John Lewley Cornforth CBE (1937-2004), English architectural historian
John Cornforth (b. 1967), former Wales international football player
Maurice Campbell Cornforth (1909-1980), British Marxist philosopher
Mark Cornforth (b. 1972), retired Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played from 1994 to 2000
Sir John Warcup Cornforth (1917-2013), Australian organic chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1975

Citations +

Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html