Appleford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Appleford family

The surname Appleford was first found in Berkshire, where Appleford dates back to the 9th century. In the Domesday Book it was part of the Sutton Hundred of Berkshire. At that time, there was an abbey, land for 6.5 ploughs, 60 acres of meadows, 2 mills, a fishery and was held by Church of Abingdon 1 Today, the village and civil parish includes Appleford-on-Thames.

Early History of the Appleford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Appleford research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1274, 1342 and 1361 are included under the topic Early Appleford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Appleford 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 Appleford, Appelford, Appelforth, Appleforth and others.

Early Notables of the Appleford family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry of Appleford, born in Appleford, Berkshire, Abbot of Reading Abbey from 1342 to 1361 who died from the Black Plague in 1361

Appleford 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 Appleford or a variant listed above were:

Appleford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tobias Appleford, who arrived in Virginia in 1687

Appleford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Appleford, who settled in Illinois in 1859

Contemporary Notables of the name Appleford (post 1700) +

Flight Lieutenant Alexander N Robin L Appleford (b. 1921), Royal Air Force fighter pilot
Geoff Appleford (b. 1977), South-African retired rugby union footballer
Rev. Patrick Appleford (b. 1925), American hymn writer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)