Garford Family History

The text discusses variants of the surnames Garforth and Garthwaite. According to Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames, it notes that Garforth had migrated to east Lancs by the 16th century. This migration is supported by land granted to John Garthforth of Farnhill at a manor court held in Colne (Lancs) in 154.

The surname might occasionally derive from Garford (Berks), which has historical records as Garanford in 960, Gareford' in 1175, and Garford' in 1242. The place-name is believed to come from an Old English personal name *Gāra (genitive *Gāran) or from the Old English term gāra, meaning ‘triangular piece of land’ (genitive singular gāran) combined with ford, which translates to ‘ford’ or ‘river crossing’.

Despite these historical references, there is a lack of evidence to confirm that the name has persisted into modern times. The exploration of these name variations reflects changes in geographic and linguistic contexts over the centuries.