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The descendants of the clans of the ancient Scottish tribe known as the Picts were the first to use the name Smorthey. It was a name for a smithy. Although Smorthey appears to be an occupational name for a blacksmith, it has been suggested that when surnames came into use in Scotland, several different families simply 'took on' the name whether they had been blacksmiths or not. Thus, Smorthey is a classic example of a polygenetic surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.
Faber and Ferro were Latin equivalents of the name Smith which were used in medieval documents. William faber de Karel witnessed legal proceedings c. 1250. William the Smith served as a juror during an inquest held at Traquair in 1274. In Aberdeen there lived an Alan Smyth in 1398. Finally, a Patrick Smyth of Scotland is noted as being confined in the Tower of London in 1401.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smorthey research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1660, 1665, 1668, 1699, 1720, 1853 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Smorthey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Smorthey has been spelled Smith, Smyth, Smythe and others.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smorthey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Smorthey: Rich Smith, who settled in Virginia in 1638; Abbigall Smith, who was granted land in Virginia in 1673; James Smith and his wife Mary, who immigrated to Boston in 1718 with their children, Abel Smith, who came to Boston in 1763.