The name Roffee was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman given name Rudolph.
Loading...
Early Origins of the Roffee family
The surname Roffee was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from early times, soon after the Norman Conquest by Duke William of Normandy in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Roffee family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Roffee research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1297, 1332, 1510, 1521 and 1557 are included under the topic Early Roffee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Roffee Spelling Variations
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Roalph, Roff, Ruff, Rouf and others.
Early Notables of the Roffee family
John Rough (died 1557), Scottish Protestant martyr, is stated to have been born in 1510, but as he was incorporated in St. Leonard's College in the university of St. Andrews in 1521. He was a close friend of John Knox and was soon summoned before Winram, the vicar-general of St. Andrews. Rough managed to leave for England before the surrender of... Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Roffee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Migration of the Roffee family
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Roffee or a variant listed above: James Rolfe and his wife Elizabeth Rolfe, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 with their son; Barbary Rofe who settled in New England in 1635; William Rofe, who arrived in Barbados in 1635.
