The name Ditchfield is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in Ditchfield, a hamlet in the county of Lacashire. The local name is derived from the Old English word dic which means ditch and feld, which literally means a field that had been cleared of trees. Therefore the surname Ditchfield denotes someone who lived by the field and the ditch.
The surname Ditchfield was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ditchfield research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1695, 1733, 1735 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Ditchfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Ditchfield has been spelled many different ways, including Dichfield, Dickfield, Ditchfield and others.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ditchfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Ditchfields to arrive in North America: