Ferns History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The Ferns family saga is rooted in the people of the Pictish Clan of ancient Scotland. The Ferns family lived on the land of Fearn in Ross where "the Gaelic name of this parish, Fearnn, signifies 'the alder-tree,' and was applied in consequence of the great number of alders growing at Mid-Fearn, in the parish of Edderton, in the neighbourhood. An abbey was founded there in the reign of Alexander II., by Farquhar, first Earl of Ross." 1

Early Origins of the Ferns family

The surname Ferns was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) a former county, now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross.

"Sir Andrew Ferae was one of the chaplains of the cathedral church of Dornoch in 1512, Sir Robert Fern or Ferne was curate of Golspie in 1546, and curate of Kylmalie in the same year." 2

Saint Bartholomew of Farne (d. 1193) was a Benedictine hermit, born Tostig, to parents of Scandinavian origin, in Whitby, Northumbria, England. He received a vision of St Cuthbert, and then decided to inhabit Cuthbert's old cell on the island of Farne. There he remained for the remaining 42 years of his life.

Early History of the Ferns family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferns research. Another 247 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1267, 1432, 1436, 1458, 1488, 1500, 1517, 1543, 1546, 1560, 1567, 1578, 1602, 1604, 1609, 1610, 1662 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Ferns History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferns Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Ferns include Ferns, Fearn, Fearns, Fearne, Fern, Ferne and others.

Early Notables of the Ferns family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir John Ferne (ca. 1560-1609), an English writer on heraldry and an eminent lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge from 1604 to 1609. He was "the son of William Ferne of Temple Belwood in the isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, who came originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire." 3Henry Ferne (1602-1662), was an English bishop, Chaplain Extraordinary to Charles I...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferns Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferns migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Ferns:

Ferns Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rosende Ferns, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1850 4

Ferns migration to Australia +

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

Ferns Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Bridget Ferns, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Margaret Ferns, aged 15, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Frenchman"

Ferns migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ferns Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur Ferns, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballarat" in 1867
Walter Ferns, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Maraval" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferns (post 1700) +

Ryan James Ferns, American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates 3rd District; Elected 2010, 2012
Naomi C. Ferns, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972
Alexander "Alex" Ferns (b. 1968), Scottish actor and television personality, best known for his villainous role as Trevor Morgan on the soap EastEnders
Edward "Eddie" Ferns (b. 1991), Scottish footballer
Lyndon Ferns (b. 1983), South African Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer
Rube Ferns, Welterweight champion in 1900 and 1901

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851