Firks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Firks is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived as dwellers at the bay or wide valley. The surname Firks was primarily located at Chapel-le-Frith, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of High Peakin in Derbyshire. 1

The town dates back to 1272, when it was known as Capella de la Firth, and meant "chapel in the sparse woodland." 2

Early Origins of the Firks family

The surname Firks was first found in Derbyshire at Chapel-En-Le-Frith. One of the first records of the family was Wlimar Frith who appeared in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1195. A few years later, John del Frith was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1201 and later, William in the Frith was listed in Essex in 1276. 3

Richard de la Fryth, was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Norfolk. 4

Early History of the Firks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Firks research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1317, 1503, 1533, 1584, 1659, 1699, 1700 and 1941 are included under the topic Early Firks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Firks Spelling Variations

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. Firks has been spelled many different ways, including Frith, Fryth, Firkin and others.

Early Notables of the Firks family

Notables of the family at this time include Richard le Frith; Mary Frith or Moll Cutpurse (c.1584-1659), a notorious pickpocket and fence of the English underworld; and John Frith or Fryth (1503-1533)...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Firks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Firks family to Ireland

Some of the Firks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Firks migration to Australia +

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

Firks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Firks (b. 1800), aged 32, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 24th March 1832, sentenced for 7 years for housebreaking and stealing bedding, transported aboard the ship "Atlas" on 27th April 1833 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 5
Mr. Richard Firks, English convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas