Horsforth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Horsforth

What does the name Horsforth mean?

The ancient roots of the Horsforth family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Horsforth comes from when the family lived near a stable or horse pasture. The surname is derived from the Old English words hors, which means horse, and falod, which means enclosure or field. Horsforth may have also been given as an occupational surname to someone who worked at such a place. Early places names include: Horsford, Norfolk, 1 2 Horsford in East Worlington, Devon, and Horsforth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 3

Horsford, Norfolk and Horsforth, Yorkshire both date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where they were recorded as Hosforda and Horseford respectively. 4

Early Origins of the Horsforth family

The surname Horsforth was first found in Yorkshire where Nigel de Horsford was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1209. John Horsfall was recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

Other Poll Tax entries include: Johannes de Horsford; Robertus de Horseforth, of Horseforth; Alicia de Horseforth, of Horseforth; and Robertus de Horsford. 5

Norfolk records include an entry for James de Horsford, clerk, Norfolk and William de Horsford, who was Burgess in Parliament for Norwich, 4 Edward III (during the fourth year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

Early History of the Horsforth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horsforth research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1682, 1751, 1759, 1768, 1771, 1773, 1817, 1818, 1837, 1840, 1859 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Horsforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horsforth Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Horsforth has appeared include Horsfield, Horsefield, Horsford, Horseford and many more.

Early Notables of the Horsforth family

Thomas Horsfield (1773-1859), American naturalist, born at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, on 12 May 1773. His parents were Moravians, and he remained throughout life a member of that religious body. 7 Thomas Walker Horsfield (d. 1837) was an English topographer, who was for some years minister of a dissenting congregation meeting at the Westgate Chapel at Lewes, Sussex, and more popularly known as the "Bull Meeting." 7 General Sir Alfred Hastings Horsford (1818-1885), son of General George Horsford, a distinguished West India officer, once Lieutenant-Governor of...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horsforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Horsforth family to Ireland

Some of the Horsforth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Horsforth family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Horsforth arrived in North America very early: Joseph and Luke Horsefield settled in Maryland in 1774; William Horseford settled in Boston in 1633; John and Mary Horseford settled in New York in 1822..

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print