Twyford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Twyford was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Twyford family lived in Leicestershire, at Twyford.
Early Origins of the Twyford family
The surname Twyford was first found in Leicestershire where they were Lords of the manor of Twyford, and conjecturally descended from Hugh de Grandmesnil, sometimes spelt Grentemaisnil, from Calvados in the canton of St. Pierre-Sur-Eides in Normandy. The senior line of this family descended to the Earls of Leicester.
Early History of the Twyford family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Twyford research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1378, 1388, 1390, 1560, 1620, 1640, 1657, 1679 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Twyford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Twyford Spelling Variations
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Twiford, Twyford, Tyford, Tyeford, Tieford, Tweeford, Tweford, Twifort, Twyfort, Tweefort, Tweeforth and many more.
Early Notables of the Twyford family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Robert Twyford, early English politician, Member of Parliament for Derbyshire in 1378. John Twyford was Lord Mayor of London; and Henry Twiford of Kenwick, Shropshire whose daughter was the second wif...
- Josiah Twyford (1640-1729), was an English potter, born in 1640 at Shelton, near Stoke-on-Trent. "Twyford commenced a manufactory of his own near Shelton Old Hall, the seat of the family of Elijah Fen...
Twyford migration to the United States +
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Twyford or a variant listed above:
Twyford Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Francis Twyford, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 1
Twyford Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Henry Twyford, who landed in America in 1770
Twyford migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Twyford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Contemporary Notables of the name Twyford (post 1700) +
- Robert E. Twyford, American founder of the Twyford Motor Car Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1900 which offered four-wheel driving gear for motor carriages and power-steering
- James S. Twyford, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1932 3
- George Twyford, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1972 3
- Frank J. Twyford, American politician, Mayor of Lompoc, California, 1960-62 3
- Thomas William Twyford (1849-1921), English pottery manufacturer, inventor of the one piece ceramic toilet, a brand that is still in use today
- Philip Stoner Twyford (b. 1963), New Zealand politician, Member of the Labour Party for Te Atatu (2008-)
- Jack Twyford (1908-1991), Australian rules footballer
Citations +
- 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 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html