Swinford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Swinford was first found in Leicestershire at Swinford, a parish, in the union of Lutterworth, hundred of Guthlaxton 1 where Geoffrey de Swinford was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1190.

While this is the first listing others quickly followed in other shires and counties including: William de Swyneford in the Feet of Fines of Lancashire in 1250 and Roger de Swyneford in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332. 2

Catherine Swynford (1350?-1403), Duchess of Lancaster was mistress and third wife of John of Gaunt. "Her elder sister, Philippa, is somewhat doubtfully said to have been the wife of Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet, and by him mother of Thomas Chaucer. " 3

As a place name Swinford can be found in the aforementioned Leicestershire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Staffordshire. The latter has had the largest population over the years. Literally the place name means: "pig ford," from the Old English "swin" + "ford." 4

The Leicestershire parish was listed in the Domesday Book as Svineford 5 and the oldest listing was found in Oxfordshire as Swynford in 931; in other words it was a Saxon village before the Conquest.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the village of Swinfield, now known as Swingfield. Richard de Swinfield or Swynfield (died 1317) was "Bishop of Hereford, [and] took his name from the village of Swinfield, now called Swingfield, five miles north of Folkestone in Kent, where he is generally supposed to have been born. His lifelong interest in Kent, and the large number of Kentish names among his following as bishop of Hereford, attest his abiding attachment to this county. " 3