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![Show Contents]() Gainforthey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancient roots of the Gainforthey family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Gainforthey comes from when the family lived in the region of Gaye which was located in France. The surname Gainforthey was also a nickname which described someone with a happy or light spirited character. Early Origins of the Gainforthey familyThe surname Gainforthey was first found in Durham at Gainford, a parish, in the unions of Teesdale, Darlington, and Auckland. "This place was anciently a seigniory detached from the palatinate jurisdiction of the county, and invested with several valuable privileges and immunities. It appears to have been indebted for its origin to Egfrid, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who founded a church, which in 830 he gave to the see, together with the lands annexed to it, and which continued to form part of the episcopal possessions till the commencement of the 11th century." 1 Early History of the Gainforthey familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gainforthey research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1601, 1610 and 1624 are included under the topic Early Gainforthey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gainforthey Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Gainforthey has appeared include Gainsford, Gaynesford, Gainford, Gaynsford, Ganesford and many more. Early Notables of the Gainforthey familyDistinguished members of the family include Thomas Gainsford (d. 1624?), English author who belonged to the Surrey family of Gainsford. "He with Edward Stene apparently purchased of the crown Alne manor, Warwickshire, and a cottage in Stutton, Yorkshire, 27 Nov. 1599. He is known to have served in Ireland under Richard...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gainforthey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Gainforthey familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gainforthey arrived in North America very early: Mathias Gainsford who settled in Maryland in 1774 and Arthur Gainsford, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1876.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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