Show ContentsAcfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Acfield family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived at Axford, in the county of Wiltshire. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words aesc and ford, meaning ash tree and ford.

Early Origins of the Acfield family

The surname Acfield was first found in Wiltshire at Axford, a hamlet in the Kennet Valley which dates back to 1184 when it was listed as Axeford. The place name literally means "ford by the ash-trees," having derived from the Old English words "aesc" + "ford." [1] The family held a family seat at Ramsbury from ancient times. Today, Ramsbury is a village and civil parish that includes the hamlet Axford. It was originally spelt Ramesberrie. Ramsbury at the time of the Domesday Book was one of the larger holdings in the county of Wiltshire and consisted of 10 Mills. It was held by the Bishop of Salisbury. It also included Axford's Farm, from which the Axford family name is conjecturally descended. Axford's Farm is noted for its water mill. Axford is also a village in Hampshire, part of the civil parish of Nutley.

Early History of the Acfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acfield research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1216 is included under the topic Early Acfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acfield Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Acfield family name include Axford, Acksford, Ackford and others.

Early Notables of the Acfield family

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

Migration of the Acfield family

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Acfield family to immigrate North America: Ephraim Axford who settled in Virginia in 1670; Richard Axford who landed in Maryland in 1660; William Hawksford settled in Maryland in 1775.


Contemporary Notables of the name Acfield (post 1700) +

  • David Acfield Emms OBE (1925-2015), English educationalist and former rugby union player


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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