Show ContentsMaddaford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Maddaford Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Maddaford

What does the name Maddaford mean?

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Maddaford is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Mitford, Northumberland where the name is "descended from Matthew, brother of John, who is said to have held the castle of Mitford soon after the Conquest. The ancestors of the present family appear to have been for many ages resident at Mitford, though the castle was not in their possession till it was granted with the manor by Charles II to Robert Litford, Esq." 1

Early Origins of the Maddaford family

The surname Maddaford was first found in Northumberland at Mitford, a village and parish in the union of Morpeth. The earliest record of the place name was found in 1196 when it was listed as Midford. The place name literally meant "ford where two streams join." 2

"The manor in the time of the Saxons belonged to the family of Mitford, and at the Conquest was part of the possessions of John, Lord of Mitford, whose only daughter, Sybil, was married by the Conqueror to Sir Richard Bertram, son of the lord of Dignam, in Normandy." 3

Nearby is Mitford Castle which dates from the end of the 11th century. The Norman motte and bailey castle stands above the River Wansbeck and was the first of three seats for the main line of the Mitford family. It's in ruins today but Mitford Old Manor House built in the 1600s remains nearby. Mitford Hall is a Georgian mansion house built in 1828 by the Mitford family.

Early History of the Maddaford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maddaford research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1389, 1390, 1395, 1407, 1612, 1659 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Maddaford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maddaford Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Maddaford has been spelled many different ways, including Mitford, Medford, Midford and others.

Early Notables of the Maddaford family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maddaford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Maddaford family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Maddafords to arrive in North America: William Mitford settled in Boston in 1767; Thomas Medford, who settled in Mississippi in 1820; as well as E. and T. Medford, who both settled in Baltimore in 1822..
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Sydney Maddaford, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 4
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html

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