Bomford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Bomford comes from the family having resided in one of two places named Bamford in the counties of Derbyshire and Lancashire. [1] [2]

Later records show the name in Yorkshire as well. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words beam, meaning tree or plank, and ford, meaning river crossing. In this case the name referred to a settlement near which there was a tree or plank laid across a river to make a dry crossing. [3]

Early Origins of the Bomford family

The surname Bomford was first found in Lancashire, where "the estate of Bamford was granted to Thomas de Bamfordby, Sir Adam de Bury, temp. Henry III, for his homage and services." [4]

As noted above, Yorkshire was later a stronghold of family as noted by early rolls. The Hundredorum Rolls list Richard de Bamford there in 1273 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Adam Bamforth and Adam de Baumford. [4]

Another source notes: "In the 17th century there was an old family of Bamford of Bamford House; there was also another family of Bamford Hall. Jerome Bamford held land in the Mealegate in the manor of Manchester during the reign of Elizabeth. The name was well established in Rochdale parish in the 16th century, and still occurs there. There is a Lancashire village thus called." [5]

Early History of the Bomford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bomford research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1593, 1594, 1602, 1612, 1613, 1657, 1659, 1738 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bomford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bomford Spelling Variations

Bomford has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Bamford, Banford, Banforth, Balmforth and others.

Early Notables of the Bomford family

Distinguished members of the family include William Bamford, last of the Bamford Hall line, Sheriff of Lancaster. James Balmford (b. 1556), was an English divine who published in 1593-1594, a 'Short and Plaine Dialogue concerning the unlawfulness of playing at cards,' London. [6]Samuel Balmford...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bomford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bomford family to Ireland

Some of the Bomford family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bomford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Bomford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Bomford, English convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [7]
Mr. Richard Bomford, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]

Bomford 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:

Bomford Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

G. H. Bomford, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Midlothian" in 1859

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. 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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim