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The name Foorthey is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a keeper of the ford or river crossing. 1
The surname Foorthey was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Bruma de la forda was listed at Winton, Hampshire. 2 Years later in Somerset, Eadric æt Fordan was listed as an Old English Byname, 1100-1130. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Reginald de la Forthe in Suffolk and later, Geoffrey atte Forde was found in Sussex in 1296. 3
The Hundredorum Rolls also included: Richard de la Forde, Norfolk; and William de la Forde, Kent. 4 In Somerset, David atte Forde was registered there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5
The name is "characteristic of the southern and western counties. Absent or singularly rare north of a line drawn from the Wash to the Mersey. It is at present most numerous in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hants, and Cheshire. In almost all the counties where this name is at all frequent we find it in one form or another as a place - name." 6
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foorthey research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1559, 1586, 1594, 1598, 1615, 1616, 1619, 1640, 1642, 1660, 1662, 1664, 1669, 1674, 1684, 1699, 1804, 1826, 1846, 1847, 1863, 1890, 1905 and 1947 are included under the topic Early Foorthey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Foorthey are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Foorthey include Forde, Ford, Alford and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: William Ford or Foord (c.1559-1616?), Church of England clergyman, he may have been the same William Ford who became Rector of Thurleigh, Bedfordshire in 1594 or the William Ford who became Vicar of Bristow, Herefordshire in 1615; Thomas Ford (1598-1674), an English...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Foorthey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Foorthey or a variant listed above: Charles Ford who settled in Virginia in 1635; John Ford settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630; Edward, Frederick, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Phillip, Richard, Thomas and William Ford all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865..