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The name Fullfithy is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the area referred to as Fulford in Devon, Somerset, Staffordshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. These place names derive from the Old English terms "fu-l," meaning "dirty," or "muddy," and "ford," meaning "a ford," a shallow place where a river could be crossed. 1
The surname Fullfithy was first found in Devon where the earliest on record was William de Fulford, who held the manor of Great Fulford, in county Devon, near Exeter, during the reign of King Richard I (1189-1199.) 2
"The Fulfords of Fulford, in the parish of Dunsford, are a very ancient and distinguished Devonshire knightly family, dating back to the 12th century." 3
However, "there is every reason to believe that the ancestors of the venerable family have resided at Fulford from the time of the Conquest. Three knights of the house distinguished themselves in the wars of the Holy Land. " 2
Indeed, the place name Fulford dates back to at least the Domesday Book where Fuleford spelling was listed in Yorkshire and Staffordshire at that time. The earliest listing for Somerset was found in 1327 as Fuleforde. 4
"One of the estates held by these thanes is Filauefford ; so that there is good evidence in 1086 that the Saxon owners of Great Fulford had not been dispossessed ; while the parent stock of Fulfords were certainly there within a century. The other Foleford of ' Domesday,' held by Motbert under Baldwin the Sheriff, was a small manor, identifiable with Little Fulford in Shobrooke. Be all this as it may, among the most distinguished Crusaders of the West were Sir William, Sir Baldwin, and Sir Armas de Fulford. In the Wars of the Roses the Fulfords took the Lancastrian side ; and Sir Baldwin, who fought at Towton, was beheaded at Hexham, in 1461. But the family remained true, and his son, Sir Thomas, was attainted for espousing the cause of the Earl of Richmond, in 1483. He also took part in the relief of Exeter, when it was besieged by Perkin Warbeck, in 1497. The forfeiture only lasted a couple of years. In the Wars of the Commonwealth, as was to be expected, the Fulfords were staunch Royalists ; and Colonel, subsequently Sir Francis, Fulford made Fulford a royal garrison. His son Thomas was killed in the service ; and in December, 1645, the house was taken by Fairfax, and placed under the command of Colonel Okey. The mansion is, in the main, Elizabethan, and contains a royal recognition of the family loyalty in a portrait of Charles I. " 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fullfithy research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1280, 1327, 1462, 1475, 1500, 1515, 1518, 1583, 1625 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Fullfithy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Fullfithy were recorded, including Fulford, Fullford, Fulforde, Fullforde and others.
Distinguished members of the family include William Fulford, English Archdeacon of Barnstaple (1462 to 1475); John Fulford (died 1518), an English Archdeacon of Totnes (1500 to 1515), Archdeacon...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fullfithy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Fullfithy family emigrate to North America: Joe Fulford who settled in St. Christopher in 1635; John Fulford, who settled in New England in 1751; and William Fulforth, who settled in Philadelphia in 1844. Andrew Fulforde was the captain of ".