The name Horkesfithey reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Horkesfithey family lived at Axford, in the county of Wiltshire. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words aesc and ford, meaning ash tree and ford.
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Early Origins of the Horkesfithey family
The surname Horkesfithey was first found in Wiltshire at Axford, a hamlet in the Kennet Valley which dates back to 1184 when it was listed as Axeford. The place name literally means "ford by the ash-trees," having derived from the Old English words "aesc" + "ford." 1 The family held a family seat at Ramsbury from ancient times. Today, Ramsbury is a village and civil parish that includes the hamlet Axford. It was originally spelt Ramesberrie. Ramsbury at the time of the Domesday Book was one of the larger holdings in the county of Wiltshire and consisted of 10 Mills. It was held by the Bishop of Salisbury. It also included Axford's Farm, from which the Axford family name is conjecturally descended. Axford's Farm is noted for its water mill. Axford is also a village in Hampshire, part of the civil parish of Nutley.
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Early History of the Horkesfithey family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horkesfithey research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1216 is included under the topic Early Horkesfithey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Horkesfithey Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Horkesfithey include Axford, Acksford, Ackford and others.
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Early Notables of the Horkesfithey family
More information is included under the topic Early Horkesfithey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Horkesfithey family
In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Horkesfitheys to arrive on North American shores: Ephraim Axford who settled in Virginia in 1670; Richard Axford who landed in Maryland in 1660; William Hawksford settled in Maryland in 1775.
England
