The ancestors of the bearers of the Ditchay family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-SaxonEngland. They were first found in Ditchfield, a hamlet in the county of Lacashire. The local name is derived from the Old English word dic which means ditch and feld, which literally means a field that had been cleared of trees. Therefore the surname Ditchay denotes someone who lived by the field and the ditch.
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Early Origins of the Ditchay family
The surname Ditchay was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
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Early History of the Ditchay family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ditchay research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1695, 1733, 1735 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Ditchay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Ditchay Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ditchay include Dichfield, Dickfield, Ditchfield and others.
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Early Notables of the Ditchay family
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ditchay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Ditchay family
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ditchay or a variant listed above: Robert Dichfield settled in Virginia in 1620; Joe Ditchfield settled in St. Christopher in 1635; Mathew Dichfield settled in Pennsylvania in 1873.
England
