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Stopforthay is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stopforthay family lived in Cheshire, at Stockport.
The surname Stopforthay was first found in Cheshire where Sir Robert of Stockport was a Norman noble, son of Robert Fitz-Waltheof, Lord of Etchells, who was a tenant of the Baron of Dunham Massey. "The manor [at Etchells] was anciently in the Stockports, from whom it passed by female heirs to the Aldernes and Stanleys." 1
Over in Bootle, Lancashire the Stockport family one half of the manor with the Beetham family. "The Stockport family held the other half, and appear to have secured a share of the plough-lands. In 1275 Ellen, widow of Robert de Stockport, claimed against Roger de Stockport dower in a messuage, six oxgangs of land, 60 acres of meadow, in Bootle. However, this holding was short lived as The Stockport share was transferred before 1292 to Robert de Byron." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stopforthay research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1238, 1636, 1654, 1675, 1700, 1770 and 1954 are included under the topic Early Stopforthay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Stockport, Stopfort, Stopford and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Stopforthay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Stopforthay or a variant listed above: J. Stockport landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1740; Edward Stopford settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1852.