Fororth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Fororth is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived at or near a forth, which is an area of the river that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading. The word forth developed into the modern English word ford. 1

Forth is "a well-known river of Scotland; also a village in Lancashire." 2

Early Origins of the Fororth family

The surname Fororth was first found in Hampshire where an early Latin form of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bruman de la forda. 3 Later, Eadric æt Fordan was listed as an Old English Byname in Somerset 1100-1130. Reginald de la Forthe was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 for Suffolk. In Sussex, Geoffrey atte Forde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. 4

Another source notes that William de la Forde was listed in Kent in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 5 and in Somerset, William atte Forde was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6

Early History of the Fororth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fororth research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1379, 1610, 1659, 1660 and 1676 are included under the topic Early Fororth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fororth Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Fororth family name include Forth, Forthe, Fourth, Fourthe, Forith, Foryth and many more.

Early Notables of the Fororth family

More information is included under the topic Early Fororth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fororth family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Fororth surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Forth landed in Virginia in 1623; and George Forth purchased land in Virginia in 1635; followed by Jennett in 1651; Ann Forth settled in New York in 1820.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.