Contents [hide]

Rotherham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Rotherham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Rotherham arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rotherham family lived in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Rotherham, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the north division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill. The place name literally means "homestead or village on the River Rother," 1 "The town was formerly celebrated for its manufacture of edge tools; and in 1160, there were mines of ironstone, smelting-furnaces, and forges in the neighbourhood." 2 The local was named Rodreham in the Domesday Book. 3

Early Origins of the Rotherham family

The surname Rotherham was first found in Yorkshire where they were Lords of the Manor of Rotherham. Conjecturally they are descended from the Count of Mortain who held the lands and village of Rotherham at the taking of the Domesday Book in the year 1086, a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England. The hamlet of Rotherham consisted mainly of one single Church.

Early History of the Rotherham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rotherham research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1423, 1500, 1600, 1610, 1630, 1648, 1694, 1696, 1752, 1772 and 1907 are included under the topic Early Rotherham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rotherham Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Rotherham, Rotheram, Rothram, Rudrum, Rudderham and others.

Early Notables of the Rotherham family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir John Rotheram (1630-1696), was an English lawyer, son of Thomas Atwood Rotherham, vicar of Pirton, Hertfordshire, and of Boreham, Essex...
1630 and belonged to the ancient house of Rotherham of Farleigh, near Luton...
He was admitted fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, as of kin to its second founder, Archbishop Rotherham, in 16484...

Migration of the Rotherham family to Ireland

Some of the Rotherham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rotherham migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Rotherham or a variant listed above were:

Rotherham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Rotherham who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1855
George and William Rotherham, who settled in Philadelphia in 1856
John Rotherham, who settled in Philadelphia in 1857

Rotherham migration to Australia +

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

Rotherham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Rotherham, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
William Rotherham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Flora" in 1851 6

Rotherham 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:

Rotherham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mark Rotherham, aged 27, a brickmaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Mary Rotherham, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Emma Rotherham, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Thomas Rotherham, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Emily B. Rotherham, aged 32, a cook, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name Rotherham (post 1700) +

John Rotherham, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1912; Postmaster at Jersey City, New Jersey, 1923-31 7
Hugh Rotherham (1861-1939), English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Warwickshire (1884-1903)
Gerard Alexander Rotherham (1899-1985), English first-class cricketer for Cambridge University and Warwickshire and later for Wellington in New Zealand, nephew of Hugh Rotherham
Arthur Rotherham (1869-1946), English rugby union scrum-half, member of the first official British Isles tour and was later capped for the England team
Alan Rotherham (1862-1898), English rugby union player who represented England from 1882 to 1887, inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011
Mr. James Rotherham, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1602 to 1603
Mr. George Rotherham, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1563 to 1564
Tony Rotherham, English historian, living history re-enactor, film extra, teacher, fight choreographer, stuntman, weapon expert and Robin Hood. He was previously Nottingham's official Robin Hood
Roland Rotherham, British writer who specializes in medieval legends and lore, especially those related to King Arthur, Merlin and Glastonbury, member of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies
Joseph Bryant Rotherham (1828-1910), British biblical scholar and minister of the Churches of Christ
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rotherham family +

North Sea Flood

Kenneth T. Rotherham, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" who survived the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY FLORA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851LadyFlora.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html