Hallfithey is a name of ancient
Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Halford, a place-name found in
Devon,
Shropshire, or
Warwickshire, or in Haleford, a lost place in
Kent. Despite the similarity of the place-names, they are derived from different sources. The Halford name which was found in Salop (now called Shropshire), for example, is derived from the Old English words
haforce, which means "hawk," and
ford, a word that means "shallow place where a river may be crossed by wading." It was rendered as Hauerford in 1155. Another Halford, this one in Warwickshire, was listed as Halchford sometime in the 12th century; it is derived from the Old English words
halh, which meant "remote nook or corner of land," and
ford, a shallow place where a river could be crossed without a bridge.
Early Origins of the Hallfithey family
The surname Hallfithey was first found in
Leicestershire at Wistow which was held by the family since well before the 16th century.
Early History of the Hallfithey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallfithey research.
Another 475 words (34 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1658, 1844, 1580, 1658, 1641, 1679, 1663, 1690, 1689, 1690, 1695 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Hallfithey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hallfithey Spelling Variations
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore,
spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hallfithey family name include Halford, Hallford, Halforde and others.
Early Notables of the Hallfithey family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Richard Halford, 1st
Baronet (c.?1580-1658), Sheriff of
Leicestershire in the 19th year of James I's reign, created a
Baronet on 18 December 1641, notable for his allegiance to Charles I...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hallfithey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hallfithey family to the New World and Oceana
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for
Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hallfithey surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Henry Halferd, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1822; Thomas Halford, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1634; Nancy Halferty, who came to St. John, N.B. in 1838.
The Hallfithey Motto
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Virtus in actione consistit
Motto Translation: Virtue consists in action.