The origins of the Gainfort name lie with England's ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the region of
Gaye which was located in France. The surname Gainfort was also a
nickname which described someone with a
happy or light spirited character.
Early Origins of the Gainfort family
The surname Gainfort was first found in
Durham at Gainford, a parish, in the unions of Teesdale, Darlington, and Auckland. "This place was anciently a seigniory detached from the palatinate jurisdiction of the county, and invested with several valuable privileges and immunities. It appears to have been indebted for its origin to Egfrid, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who founded a church, which in 830 he gave to the see, together with the lands annexed to it, and which continued to form part of the episcopal possessions till the commencement of the 11th century."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the Gainfort family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gainfort research.
Another 115 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gainfort History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gainfort Spelling Variations
Before the last few
hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason,
spelling variations are commonly found in early
Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Gainfort were recorded, including Gainsford, Gaynesford, Gainford, Gaynsford, Ganesford and many more.
Early Notables of the Gainfort family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gainfort Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gainfort family to the New World and Oceana
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Gainfort family emigrate to North America: Mathias Gainsford who settled in Maryland in 1774 and Arthur Gainsford, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1876.
Gainfort Family Crest Products
See Also
Citations
- ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.