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If our ancestors were Norman landowners they would most likely have added the names of their estates to their first names. 'Henry de Ferrières', or Henry of Ferrières, did this. He was Norman baron who was lord over Ferrières-Saint-Hilare, a small iron mining village near Bernay in Normandy. He fought at Hastings with William the Conqueror in 1066 and after the conquest began a line in England who used de Ferrières as a family name and gave their name to such English towns as Higham Ferrers and Woodham Ferrers. This family is represented today by Lord Ferrers of Baddesly Clinton. Other families too, though they may spell their names differently, might claim decent from Henry of Ferrières if proof could be found. Guillaume de Ferrières also features on the roll of those who fought at Hastings and he also came from Normandy — though it appears from another village called Ferrières. This village is situated a few miles South of Mortain and was also an iron mining centre. Once it was ruled by Robert, Count de Mortain, half brother of the William the Conqueror, who also fought at Hastings and was rewarded with large estates in the West of England. Some of these manors where later held by William (or Guillaume) de Ferrers. His family name survives in Devon and Cornwall in villages called Bere Ferrers and Churston Ferrers. So by the end of the 11th century it appears two completely separate families had become established in England and were using de Ferrers after their first names. These additional names were normally only handed down to the eldest son. Often because the property which provided the name in the first place only passed to that son. This meant there could be brothers and sisters using different second names acquired as they gained property, took on a profession, or found another reason which provided a surname. Subsequently, second names began to stick and were inherited by all the children. The practice of using de (or 'of') was dropped by most English families connections with estates in Normandy were severed. If the ancestor was not using a Saxon or Norman name, he might have used a trade or professional name. An early example of this is provided by Peter le Ferour (or Peter the farrier — the one who shoes horses) who in 1315 was a tenant of the Archbishop of York at Garton-on-the-Wolds. His name still points to a connection with iron, being derived from the word ferreor, the Old French word for 'worker in iron'. As Peter lived in the 14th century, it's unlikely that his children would use the name Ferour unless they too worked as farriers. This type of family name was not hereditary in the 1300s — surnames as we know them now did not come into general use until the following century. As the need increased for people to be identified more accurately (often because of tax collecting), it became essential to acquire a proper family name. By 1400 it is estimated that about three-quarters of the population were using hereditary family names. The accounts of Selby Abbey in Yorkshire gives two examples of craftsmen who must have followed this trend. In 1388/89 William Farrier was paid six pence for shoeing horses hired at Oxford by brother William Pygot, and for taking the horses to Selby. Some year later William Ferrour (possibly the same man) was paid two shillings and eight pence for shoeing horses owned by the Abbey's kitchens. Though the spellings differ, they (or he) were obviously farriers by trade if not by name. As children, they may not have been given surnames, though by the time they had children themselves, the fashion had changed and they are likely to have adopted Farrier or Ferrour for use as a surname. By 1450 virtually everyone in England was using a regular surname. An example showing how place names were being used in 1416 is illustrated in a list of novice monks attached to Selby Abbey. William Snayth, Thomas Duffield, William Cawood and William Bridlington, were amongst the men who took up a celibate life in the monastery and adopted the names of nearby towns or villages. These men were taught to read and write in the Abbey and it is very likely they kept their adopted surnames that were passed on to subsequent generations. So today we have names such as Farrar, Farrer, Ferrer, Fairer, Fayrer, Farrow, Farrah and even Pharoe. But can all these spellings have been used by a single family over the years? That is possible if the wide variety of spellings used by the Farrars who lived in Rothwell and Oulton in 17th, 18th and 19th century Yorkshire can be used as a guide. Even when surnames were in common usage, they became corrupted into the range of spellings we have today. Few people were able to read or write, and those who could were often poor at spelling. This lead to inconsistency. In any case, who was to how the name should be spelt? The scribes often relied on pronunciation rather than a knowledge of the proper spelling when making tax returns, writing deeds or wills, or filling in the parish records. The Farrars in Rothwell, or those who made entries in the records on their behalf, used such a wide range of spellings that it was difficult to work out their relationship. Fortunately Samuel Farrar made his will in 1698 and mentioned four generations which provides the key for putting these otherwise different people together. He was baptised as Samuel Farrey at Rothwell in 1648, became Sam Farrow when he married Hannah Bretton in 1670, two of his children were baptised as Jo and Henry Farrah and one of his grandchildren was called Henry Farra. When he made his will the spelling Farrar was used. He could not read and write so left his mark in the form of a cross on the will and had to rely on others to spell his name as they thought best. He probably had no idea that such a wide range of spellings had been used throughout his life. Once it became 'Farrar' then the name should have stuck. Samuel's great-grandson who inherited most of the family property was educated and did learn to sign his name — but his ability to spell is in doubt. Normally he used Farrer, but when his son Henry was married in 1743, both Farrow and Farrar were entered on the wedding certificate. Perhaps they argued about the proper spelling. It took another hundred years or so for the name to settle down and become Farrar. So we have the situation where two people called Farrow and Farrah may share a common ancestor; perhaps a Norman knight or a village blacksmith. Alternatively, two people sharing identical surnames may not be related as their ancestors might be different Norman knights or blacksmiths from different parts of the country.
Henry Farrar |
Where did the name Farrar come from? If our ancestors were
Anglo-Saxons, they would not have possessed a surname to pass on to their
children. Normally they only used one personal name such as Edward or Alfred.
But as there were lots of Edwards and Alfreds, and it would have been difficult
to know who was being addressed, they used additions such as 'the confessor' or
'the great' then there was no doubt.