Hickferd History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of HickferdWhat does the name Hickferd mean? Hickferd is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the old village of Hickford, Shropshire. Early Origins of the Hickferd familyThe surname Hickferd was first found in Shropshire, but we must look to Oxfordshire to find one of the first listings of the name, that being Edith de Hicford who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 1 "Sir Robert Atkyns, in his Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire, says (p. 109) that 'The Higfords were of an ancient family in Salop, originally styled Hugford.' About the reign of James I the surname was turned into Higford: this, of course, has now become Hickford." 1 Early History of the Hickferd familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hickferd research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1581, 1596, 1597, 1607 and 1657 are included under the topic Early Hickferd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hickferd Spelling VariationsSound 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 Hickferd family name include Hickford, Hikford, Hicford, Higford, Higeford, Hugford and many more. Early Notables of the Hickferd familyDistinguished members of the family include William Higford (1581-1657), born near Alderton, Gloucestershire, a writer and Justice of the Peace. He was a Puritan, born of a good family. On 14 January 1596-1597, he matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford. He married Mary, daughter of... Migration of the Hickferd familyFor 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 Hickferd surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Hickford, who sailed to Maine in 1640 and Thomas Hickford to Maryland in 1669.
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