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Origins Available: |
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The ancestors of the name Spaford date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Spaford family lived in the parish of Spofforth in Knaresborough in Yorkshire.
The surname Spaford was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Spoffarth, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Claro. "This place was the residence of the Percy family previously to their settlement at Alnwick, and possessed a formidable castle, their baronial seat, which was demolished by the Yorkists after the battle of Towton, in which the Earl of Northumberland, and his brother Sir Charles Percy, were slain. The remains consist chiefly of the grand hall, which, though a ruin, retains much of its ancient magnificence. The church is a spacious and handsome structure, partly in the Norman and early English styles, and contains a monument with a recumbent figure of a Knight Templar. " 1
Listed as Spoford in the Domesday Book of 1086, by 1218 the parish was known as Spotford. Literally the place name means "ford by a small plot of ground," from the Old English words "spot" + "ford." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spaford research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1421 and 1448 are included under the topic Early Spaford 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 Spaford 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 Spaford include: Spaford, Spafford, Spafforde, Spafforth and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Spaford Notables 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 Spaford or a variant listed above: John, Sr. Spafford, who settled in New England in 1643; John Spofford, who settled in Massachusetts in 1638; George Spafford, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1779.