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Farrar (surname)

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Farrar is an occupational surname for a blacksmith or ironworker derived from the Latin ferrarius, Middle English Ferror or Anglo-Norman ferrur.[1] Alternate spellings are Farrer, Ferrar and Farrow.

Origins

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There are records of an Osbert le ferrur and Peter le ferrour previous to the Poll Tax of 1377, but in those cases ferrur is not a name, it is an occupation i.e. Thomas the horseshoer.[2]

The subsidy roll (Poll Tax of 1379), for the town of Elland, Halifax parish, Morley Wapentake, West Riding of Yorkshire lists a Johannes de Helistones, fferror & uxor (John of Helistones, Ferror and (his) wife, indicating that he was a "ferror"; also in the same subsidy roll is Henricus de Langfeld', ffranklayn, & uxor, which translates into Henry of Langfeld, freeman and (his) wife. By 1350 surnames were taking hold in the south of England, but it wasn't until around 1450 that surnames were used in the north (including Yorkshire).[3][4]

The earliest documented appearance of the surname is the Register of Freemen of York, 1410–1411 with Johannes Ferror, a littestar (dyer of wool or lister, litster).[5][6] Due to varying levels of literacy and regional dialects, the name could be written as Farrar, Pharo, Farra, Ferrar, Farrer, Ferrers, or Farrow.

As an example of how the spelling can change over time: Henry Ferror is listed in Halifax Wills being Abstracts and Translations 1545–1559.[7] His son William Ferror's will.[8]: 53  His grandson John Farrer's will,[8]: 126–128  and his great grandson William Farrar. Another variant: Will of Henry Fareher of Halifax, 1542.[9]: 136  Lord (Thomas) Farrer of Abinger, in his Farrer (and some variants) Wills and Administrations, lists many related and unrelated Farrars, with a variety of spellings who left Wills.[8]

The surname is found, in England, originally in those areas in which there were deposits of iron and thus an iron producing industry.[10][11][12]

Bearers of the surname belong to various haplogroups including E-M2, I-M233, I-M253,J-M172, R-M269, R-YP5578.[13]

Armorial bearings

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Coat of arms and crest for William Farrar's father, John Farrar of Croxton and London, esquire

There is an apparent symbiotic relationship between the surname and armorial bearings issued to various houses of Farrar/Farrer/Ferrar, all of which have, on a bend, three horseshoes and some have a horseshoe on the crest. Such as Fairer of Warcorp Tower, Westmoreland[14]: 43  And pedigrees recorded in the Visitation of Surrey[15]: 157–158  and Visitation of Hertford.[16]: 58  The arms of Nicholas Ferrar.[17]

FERRAR of Westwood Place in Worplesdon. Arms: Argent on a bend engrailed Sable three horse-shoes of the first, a crescent for difference. Crest: A horse-shoe Argent between two wings displayed Or. As borne by Henry Farrer [Ferrer] of Westwood and his brother John Farrer of Brierly, Yorkshire, sons of John Farrer of Croxton, Lincolnshire, 2nd son of William Farrer of Ewood Hall, Yorkshire West Riding. (see Visitation of Surrey and Hertfordshire above and Pedigrees of the Families of the County Yorkshire[18])

FARRER: Bryan Farrer, JP, of Binnegar Hall, Dorset, (1858–1944), grandson of James William Farrer of Ingleborough, Yorkshire, Senior Master in Chancery, (1785–1863), had issue Captain John Oliver Farrer, MC, (1894–1942), father of William Oliver Farrer, MA (Oxon), of Highlands, Fernhurst, Haslemere, solicitor, (b.1926); and Sir Walter Leslie Farrer, KCVD, BA (Oxon), of Charlwood Place Farm, Horsley, solicitor, (b.1900). The said James William Farrer had a 2nd son the Rev. Matthew Thomas Farrer, MA, of Ingleborough, (1816–89), Vicar of Addington and Perpetual Curate of Shirley. Arms: Quarterley, 1 and 4, Argent on a bend engrailed Sable three horseshoes of the field (Farrer); 2 and 3, Or gutté-de-sang a bend Gules. Crest: A horseshoe between two wings erect Proper. Motto: Ferre va ferme.[citation needed]

FARRER: Thomas Farrer, 1st Baron Farrer, of Abinger Hall, Dorking, (1819–99), was created Baron Farrer of Abinger, 1893. The title became extinct on the death of Oliver Farrer, 4th Baron Farrer in 1954. Arms: Argent on a bend engrailed Sable four horse shoes of the field. Crest: a quatrefoil with a horseshoe between two wings all Argent. Supporters: on either side a horse reguardant Argent gorged with a riband pendant therefrom an escutcheon both Sable charged with two horseshoes palewise Argent. Motto: Ferre va ferme.[19]

Coat of Arms for Nicholas Ferrar of Little Giddings
Ferrers of Piddington
Coat of Arms of Ralph Farrer, grocer, from the Visitation of London

Notable people with the surname

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Fictional characters

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Anglo Norman Dictionary".
  2. ^ Bardsley, Charles Wareing (1875). English Surnames: Their Sources and Significations. Piccadilly, London: Chatto and Windus. p. 290.
  3. ^ "Subsidy Roll of 1379, Morley Wapentake". Genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  4. ^ McKinley, Richard A. (2013). A History of British Surnames. Routledge. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-582-01869-3.
  5. ^ (England), York (1896). "Register of the Freemen of the City of York: From the City ..., Volume 96". books.google.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  6. ^ "YORKSHIRE: Subsidy Rolls (Poll Tax) for the year 1379". genuki, org.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Halifax Wills :being abstracts and translations from the Parish of Halifax 1545-1559". Archive.org. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Farrer of Abinger, Lord (1936). Farrer(and some variants) Wills and Administrations. Dorking [Surrey]: Tanner and Son.
  9. ^ (England), York (1904). "Will of Henry Fareher of Halifax".
  10. ^ "DistributionFarrar name 1881". Public Profiler UK. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Iron Mining in the British Isles". Northern Mine Research Society. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Roman Britain Industrial Mining" (PDF). Campbell M Gold. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Farrar Farrow DNA results". Family Tree DNA. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Visitation of Cumbria and Westmoreland". Archive.org. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  15. ^ The Visitations of the County of Surrey: 1530, 1572, 1623. London: Ye Wardour Press. 1899.
  16. ^ The visitations of Hertfordshire, 1572 and 1634. London. 1886.
  17. ^ "The Arms of Nicholas Ferrar". A December Pilgrimage. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  18. ^ Foster, Joseph (1874). "Pedigrees of the Families of the County of Yorkshire". Archive.org. Retrieved 11 February 2019. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  19. ^ "Surrey Coat of Arms" (PDF). Surrey Heritage. Retrieved 10 February 2019.