Hansford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Hansford has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the township of Handforth, in the parish of Cheadle in the county of Cheshire.
Early Origins of the Hansford family
The surname Hansford was first found in Cheshire at Handforth. "The manor, as early as the reign of Henry III., was in the family of Handford, from whom, with the manor of Bosden, it passed to the Breretons, and subsequently to the Booths." 1
Handford, or Hanford is a parish in the union of Stone, in the hundred of Pirehill in Staffordshire. 1
Of the two, we know that Handforth, Cheshire dates back to the 12th century when it was first known as Haneford and it literally meant "ford frequented by cocks (wild birds)" or "ford at the stones (used as markers)" from the Old English words "hanna" + "ford." 2
As far as early records of the family, we found John de Honford (Handforth) was first listed in Earwaker's History East Cheshire in 1370. The same sources notes Thomas de Honford was listed there in 1398. 3
Handforth Hall is a former manor house in Handforth, Cheshire dating back to 1562 having been built for Sir Urian Brereton.
Early History of the Hansford family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hansford research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1230, 1325, 1565, 1598, 1635, 1638 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Hansford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hansford Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hansford have been found, including Handford, Hanford, Handforth and others.
Early Notables of the Hansford family
More information is included under the topic Early Hansford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hansford Ranking
In the United States, the name Hansford is the 11,536th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
Hansford migration to the United States +
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Hansford, or a variant listed above:
Hansford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Eliza Hansford, who landed in Virginia in 1651 5
- John Hansford, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 5
Hansford migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Hansford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Edward Hansford, English convict who was convicted in Southwark, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
- Walter Thomas Hansford, aged 22, a smith, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Magdalena" 7
- Job Hansford, aged 49, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord of the Isles" 8
- Emily R. Hansford, aged 14, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord of the Isles" 8
- John Samuel James Hansford (aged 20), a quarryman, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hansford migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Hansford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. Thomas B. Hansford, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 9
- John Hansford, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
- Mr. W.R. Hansford, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand on 2nd January 1881, en-route to Auckland, New Zealand 9
- Mrs. Hansford, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand on 2nd January 1881, en-route to Auckland, New Zealand 9
- Miss Minnie Hansford, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Jocelyn" arriving in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand on 2nd January 1881, en-route to Auckland, New Zealand 9
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Hansford (post 1700) +
- John M. Hansford (1800-1844), American politician, Member of Texas Republic House of Representatives, 1838-40; Judge of Texas Republic, 1840-42 10
- Frank Cicero Hansford, American Major League Baseball player in the late 1800s
- Pamela Hansford (1912-1981), English novelist, playwright, poet, literary and social critic
- Gregg Hansford (1952-1995), Australian motorcycle and touring car racer
- Edwin A. Hansford (1895-1959), Canadian politician from Manitoba
- Baroness Pamela Hansford Johnson CBE, FRSL (1912-1981), English novelist, playwright, poet, literary and social critic
- Hansford Rowe (1924-2017), American character actor, known for his roles in Three Days of the Condor, Dante's Peak, The Bonfire of the Vanities
Historic Events for the Hansford family +
- Mr. Ralph Hansford (1881-1914), English Bucker from Easington, Durham at Murton Colliery, England, United Kingdom who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse 11
- Peter Colin Hansford (d. 1942), British Boy Telegraphist aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 12
Citations +
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
- South Australian Register Friday 26th August 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdalena 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1853.shtml
- South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord of the Isles 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/jamesfernie1854.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners
- Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A