Purefroy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Purefroy

The ancient Norman culture that was established in England after the Conquest of 1066 produced the name of Purefroy. It was given to a man of true faith. The name was originally derived from the Old French purefei, meaning one who was staunch and true and by my faith

"The present spelling is a popular etymology, 'pure faith', which arose when per, par and pur fell together in pronunciation. " 1

Early Origins of the Purefroy family

Early History of the Purefroy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purefroy research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1580, 1617, 1627, 1628, 1631, 1649 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Purefroy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purefroy Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Purefoy, Purefield, Purefree, Purefrey, Purfrey, Purfry and many more.

Early Notables of the Purefroy family

William Purefoy (c.1580-1659) who was appointed to the High Court of Justice that tried and condemned King Charles I in 1649. He was eldest son of Francis Purefoy (d. 1617), and was elected Member of Parliament for Coventry (1627-1628) and Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1631. He joined in the signing of the death-warrant of Charles I. 3 Robert Warton...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Purefroy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Purefroy family to Ireland

Some of the Purefroy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Purefroy family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Purefroy or a variant listed above: Lieutenant Purfrey who settled in Virginia in 1623; Lucy Purefoy, who settled in Virginia in 1629; Samuell Purefoy, who came to St. Christopher (New England) in 1633.