Garforth

This is an English surname. Recorded as Garforth, Garforthe, Garford, and Garthforth, it is locational and from the village of Garforth, near Leeds, in the county of Yorkshire. The famous Domesday Book of the year 1086 records the place spelling as Gereford, with the translation of "the ford owned by Gaera". The latter was a pre 7th century Olde English personal name, which curiously means "grass". The early recordings of the surname include that of the lord of the manor, Johannes de Garforth, in the Poll Tax register for Yorkshire in 1379. Spelling in medieval times being even more haphazard even than today Johannes' sister, Agnes, is recorded as Agnes de Gerforth of Gerforth, in the same register. Locational surnames were often those given to people after they left their original homes, and moved somewhere else. However in this case it is possible that many nameholders, do descend from these original lords of the manor of Garforth. Their coat of arms has the blazon of a black field, charged with a bend between six silver goats, the crest being a silver goats head. Early examples of the surname recordings include Rychard Garforth, in the register of the parish church of Rothwell, Yorkshire, in 1537, whilst the name was early into Lancashire with William Garthforth marrying Jenata Emott at Colne, on October 13th 1607. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Gerford. This was dated 1273, in the "Hundred Rolls" of landowners of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307.