Ufforthay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Ufforthay is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in either of the settlements called Ufford in the counties of Northamptonshire and Suffolk. The surname Ufforthay belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Ufforthay family

The surname Ufforthay was first found in Suffolk at Ufford, a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Wilford. 1 Ufford is also a civil parish in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Both parishes are ancient. The Cambridgeshire parish dates back to Saxon times when it was first listed as Uffawyrtha in 948. The Suffolk parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Uffeworda. 2

Both essentially mean "enclosure of a man called Uffa," from the Old English personal name + "worth." 3

"Of this family, which afterwards arrived to great honour, Robert, a younger son of John de Peyton, of Peyton in the county of Suffolk, assumed his surname from the lordship of Ufford, in that shire, became Robert de Ufford. His son was summoned to Parliament as a Baron in 1308, and his grandson, also a Robert de Ufford, was created Earl of Suffolk. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 may confirm this claim as Robert de Ufford was listed in Suffolk at that time. 5 Later the Feet of Fines listed Thomas Ufford in Essex in 1391. 6

One source has interesting note about the family: "Robert de Ufford (d. 1298), was the founder of the greatness of the family. A younger son of a Suffolk landowner, John de Peyton, Robert assumed his surname from his lordship of Ufford in Suffolk, and attended Edward I on his crusade. Between 1276 and 1281 he acted as Justice of Ireland. He was instructed by Edward I to introduce English laws into Ireland, and practised skilfully but unscrupulously the policy of sowing dissension among the different Irish septs. He also built the castle of Roscommon 'at countless cost.' " 7

Robert de Ufford (1298-1369) the first Earl of Suffolk was Robert's grandson and the second but eldest surviving son and heir of Robert de Ufford (1279-1316.)

William de Ufford (1339?-1382), second Earl of Suffolk was the second but eldest surviving son of Robert de Ufford, first Earl of Suffolk. 7

Early History of the Ufforthay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ufforthay research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1308, 1345, 1346, 1349, 1404, 1413, 1582 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Ufforthay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ufforthay 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. Ufforthay has been spelled many different ways, including Ufford, Ufforde, Hawford, Hoffard and others.

Early Notables of the Ufforthay family

Notables of the family at this time include Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (1345/1346-1413), a wealthy English noblewoman and the wife of Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford, only child was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favourite of King Richard II of England, took part in a conspiracy against King Henry IV of England and was sent to the Tower of London...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ufforthay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ufforthay 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 Ufforthays to arrive in North America: Isabel Ufford, who settled in Boston in 1632; along with John, Thomas; John Ufford settled in Barbados in 1680.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print