Ruddiforth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Scotland
Ireland
England

Behind the name Ruddiforth is a story that begins in the ancient Scottish-English border region among the clans of the Boernician tribe. The Ruddiforth family lived in the Parish of Maxton, where Rutherford was a town, near Roxburghshire. The toponym Rutherford is derived from the Old English words hryder meaning cattle and ford, a shallow part of a river.

Early Origins of the Ruddiforth family

The surname Ruddiforth was first found in the Parish of Maxton, town of Rutherford, county Roxburghshire. The first bearers of Ruddiforth on record were two knights: Gregory and Nicholas de Rutherford who were listed in the reigns of William the Lion and Alexander II. About the same time, Sir Richard, lord of Rotherford was listed as was William de Rwthirford, a cleric who witnessed a charter by Henry de Grahame. Nicholas de Rothirford, knight, rendered homage to King Edward I of England at Montrose in 1296, as did Margarete la fielle Nicol de Rotherforde who also rendered homage for her lands. 1

Early History of the Ruddiforth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ruddiforth research. Another 284 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1200, 1215, 1249, 1285, 1296, 1361, 1411, 1413, 1448, 1451, 1493, 1506, 1552, 1577, 1580, 1582, 1600, 1661, 1664, 1695, 1779 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ruddiforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruddiforth Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. Ruddiforth has appeared under the variations Rudfard, Ruterford, Rudforde, Rudfithy, Rudforthy, Rudforthe, Rudfith, Rudforth, Rudfearde, Rudfarte, Rudfarde, Rudferd, Rutherfard, Rudfart, Rutherfart, Ruddefork, Ruddeforde, Ruddeford, Ruddefithy and many more.

Early Notables of the Ruddiforth family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), Scottish principal of St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, born about 1600 in the parish of Nisbet, now part of Crailing, Roxburghshire. 2 Andrew Rutherford (d. 1664), was a Scottish soldier of fortune, created 1st and only Earl of Teviot by Charles II; and Samuel Rutherford (ca. 1600-1661), a Scottish theologian and controversialist, born at Nisbet, Roxburghshire, educated at Edinburgh University, where he...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ruddiforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ruddiforth family to Ireland

Some of the Ruddiforth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ruddiforth migration to Australia +

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

Ruddiforth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Ruddiforth, English convict who was convicted in Lindsey (Parts of Lindsey), Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

The Ruddiforth Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nec sorte, nec fato
Motto Translation: Neither by chance nor destiny.

Citations +

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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas