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![Show Contents]() Bearforthe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The history of the name Bearforthe goes back, perhaps as far as 1066, when the Norman Conquest of England occurred. Soon after this event, the name would have been given to a person who was in the habit of going without shoes. Friars, pilgrims, and people doing penance often went shoeless. The Barford(e) variation was likely derived from one of the many places in England so named in Hampshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire and Bedfordshire. Early Origins of the Bearforthe familyThe surname Bearforthe was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. Some of the first records of the name appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and they include: Norman Barfot in Lincolnshire; Robert Barefot in Oxfordshire; and Alan Barefot in Cambridgeshire. 1 Henry de Bereford was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1204 and in Yorkshire, William de Bereford was listed there in 1325 and later John Berford was listed there in 1419. 2 Doora Barefield, or Doora and Kilraghtis, is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, in County Clare, Ireland. Early History of the Bearforthe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bearforthe research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1400, 1655, 1685, 1686 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Bearforthe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bearforthe Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was institutionalized a couple of hundred years back, spelling varieties of names were a typical event. Components of Latin, Norman French and different dialects ended up noticeably fused into English all through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the proficient. The varieties of the surname Bearforthe include Barefoot, Barfoot, Barfitt, Barfit, Barford, Barefield, Barefred, Barefoote and many more. Early Notables of the Bearforthe familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bearforthe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bearforthe familyIn England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Bearforthes to arrive on North American shores: James Barefoot who settled in Maryland in 1634; Thomas in Virginia in 1635; followed by another Thomas in Virginia in 1650; John in Virginia in 1634; Elizabeth settled in Maryland in 1743.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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