In ancient Scotland, Retforthe was a Strathclyde-Briton name for someone who lived in Midlothian. However, the Retforthe family name comes from any of several place names in England called Redford, from Old English re-ad meaning "red" and ford, meaning "a place where a river can be crossed."
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Early Origins of the Retforthe family
The surname Retforthe was first found in Midlothian, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
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Early History of the Retforthe family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Retforthe research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1535, 1547, 1611, 1612 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Retforthe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Retforthe Spelling Variations
Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Retforthe has been spelled Redford, Redfurd, Rudford, Reidford and others.
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Early Notables of the Retforthe family
Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Henry Redford (died 1404), English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons, who came of a family long settled in Lindsey, Lincolnshire; and John Redford (died 1547), a... Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Retforthe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Retforthe family
In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: John Redford settled in Bermuda in 1635; James, John and Thomas Redford all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870.
Scotland
England
