Renfree History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Renfree family

The surname Renfree was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1086 when the name appeared in the Domesday Book as having estates in that shire.

Early History of the Renfree family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Renfree research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Renfree History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Renfree Spelling Variations

Sound 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 Renfree family name include Remfry, Remfrey, Remphree, Remphry, Remphrey, Remfree, Remfrie, Renfry, Renfree and many more.

Early Notables of the Renfree family

More information is included under the topic Early Renfree Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Renfree migration to Canada +

For 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 Renfree surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Renfree Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

A Renfree, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Renfree migration to Australia +

Renfree Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Renfree, (b. 1821), aged 20, Cornish farm servant departing from Plymouth on 21st September 1840 aboard the ship "Ferguson" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 15th January 1841 1
Mr. John Renfree, English convict who was convicted in Plymouth, Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 2
Mr. William Renfree, (b. 1837), aged 20, Cornish farm labourer travelling aboard the ship "Herefordshire" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 27th May 1857 3
Mrs. Annie Renfree, (b. 1868), aged 23, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Tara" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 26th May 1891 4
Mr. Benjamin Renfree, (b. 1868), aged 23, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Tara" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 26th May 1891 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Renfree migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Mrs. Jane Renfree, (b. 1852), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 26th October 1873 aboard the ship "Dunfillan" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 15th January 1874 5
Mr. Henry Renfree, (b. 1851), aged 22, Cornish farm labourer departing on 26th October 1873 aboard the ship "Dunfillan" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 15th January 1874 5

Sources +

Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf