Bamforth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the name Bamforth date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Bamforth family lived in one of two places named Bamford in the counties of Derbyshire and Lancashire. 1 2

Later records show the name in Yorkshire as well. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words beam, meaning tree or plank, and ford, meaning river crossing. In this case the name referred to a settlement near which there was a tree or plank laid across a river to make a dry crossing. 3

Early Origins of the Bamforth family

The surname Bamforth was first found in Lancashire, where "the estate of Bamford was granted to Thomas de Bamfordby, Sir Adam de Bury, temp. Henry III, for his homage and services." 4

As noted above, Yorkshire was later a stronghold of family as noted by early rolls. The Hundredorum Rolls list Richard de Bamford there in 1273 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Adam Bamforth and Adam de Baumford. 4

Another source notes: "In the 17th century there was an old family of Bamford of Bamford House; there was also another family of Bamford Hall. Jerome Bamford held land in the Mealegate in the manor of Manchester during the reign of Elizabeth. The name was well established in Rochdale parish in the 16th century, and still occurs there. There is a Lancashire village thus called." 5

Early History of the Bamforth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bamforth research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1593, 1594, 1602, 1612, 1613, 1657, 1659, 1738 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bamforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bamforth Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bamforth are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bamforth include: Bamford, Banford, Banforth, Balmforth and others.

Early Notables of the Bamforth family

Distinguished members of the family include William Bamford, last of the Bamford Hall line, Sheriff of Lancaster. James Balmford (b. 1556), was an English divine who published in 1593-1594, a 'Short and Plaine Dialogue concerning the unlawfulness of playing at cards,' London. 6Samuel Balmford...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bamforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bamforth family to Ireland

Some of the Bamforth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bamforth migration to Australia +

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

Bamforth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Bamforth, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Bamforth (post 1700) +

Law S. Bamforth, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Vernon, 1910 8
L. Sykes Bamforth, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Vernon, 1904 8

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html