|
|
The obvious assumption is that 'ford' relates to water, so 'spring' is 'spring-water', hence a 'local' surname given to someone who lived by ford in a stream.
Genealogical research shows this popular assumption to be a quite incorrect. It is unlikely that a spring would be be a called 'spring' if it were large enough to need fording it would be a river or brook.
The first use of the name as Springferd was on 25th November 1600 when Joanne Springferd married Joseph Halle at St. Katherine's by the Tower of London. Presumably she originated from Wiltshire as no entries for parents or siblings have been found in London in this period.
The earliest reference to the surname Springford is in 1657 in the parish registers of All Cannings, Wiltshire on April 13th when Ann Springford married Daniell Chanler.
On 28th December Richard Springford, probably Ann's brother, married Barbara Fowle, sister of Sir Thomas Fowle, Knight,Goldsmith, Alderman and Sherrif of London. The marriage of Richard was also recorded in the parish register of Stanton St Bernard, December 26th 1657, as Richard Springbat and Barbara Fowle. Anne was the daughter of Richard Springfoote and was born in 1636 in the parish of All Cannings. Richard Springfoote married Jane Bartlett on 26th November 1629; he is shown in the All Cannings register as a church warden in 1641; when he died in 1664, and when Jane died in 1671, both were recorded as Springbat.
Among the first Springfords therefore, were the son and daughter of a Springfoote who was also known as Springbat. The parish registers of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire contain many entries for the Springbat family, but no other for any Springfoote.
In 1594 Thomas Springbat married Elizabeth Burry at Beechingstoke, one son of this marriage, Edward, almost certainly first bore the name later favoured by the Wilsford Springbats (mentioned in The Victoria County History of Wiltshire, as sucessive generations of millers at Wilsford), for whom Edward was a family name. It seems probable that another son was Richard Springfoote, because in 1630 Jane, daughter of Richard Springbat, was baptised at Beechingstoke; followed in 1631/2 by her brother Richard who I suspect became Richard Springfoote of All Cannings.
The surname Springbat remained the family name, as time went on some parishes spelt it Springbatt, occasionally in the parishes of All Cannings and Etchilhampton Springford would be used, but not consistently; the same user might be shown differently between baptism, marriage and death. There are several occasions when Springward or wood have been used. Although there is no evidence that these are connected to Springfords and Springbats, the rarity of the name and the locations in which it was found suggest that it is.
Thomas = Elizabeth Burry
Springbat m. 1594 at Beechingstoke
|
------------------------------------------------------
|
| |
|
|
twins
assumed
Margery Gilbert Edward
Elizabeth Richard
b.1595 b.1598
b.1604 b.1604
Springfoote
als. Springbat
m.
1629
at
All Cannings
|
-------------------------------
|
|
|
Jane Richard
Anne
Springbat
Springbat/ford Springford/foote
b. 1630 b. 1631/2
b. 1636
at Beechingstoke m. Barbara
m.Daniell
Fowle Chanler
1657
1657
In Wilsford several Springbats used the name Springbelt. 'Monumental Insciptions for the County of Wiltshire' 1821 records an inscription at Wilsford North Wilts 'In memory of Jane, wife of Samuel Springebelt who died Nov 12th 1760 aged 70 years' on flat stones in chancel (seemingly tiled over now 1990). The parish register record Jane's death as Springbatt. A Samuel was baptised on Jun 5th 1727 as son of Samuel Springbat. Samuel Springbat senior was the son of Michael Springbat and born in 1692, he was named Springbatt when his name was engraved on the Church chalice along with other church wardens in 1733. Samuel senior uses Springbelt when writing his will in 1759.
A Thomas Springbelt of Wilsford is shown as the father of Jane wife of Henry Fowle, on a monumental wall plaque commemorating the Fowle family inside the church at Charlton. Jane died in 1780 aged 49 according to the memorial, the only record of baptism for a Jane Springbat or Springbelt is on May 23rd 1732 daughter of Samuel Springbat. So it looks as though the Fowle's were mistaken about Jane's relationship with Thomas - the memorial was not made until after 1850, almost seventy years after his death, Thomas was Thomas Twinning Springbatt of Wilsford who left legacies to the children of his sister Jane in his will.
The parish records for Wilsford show a marriage in 1608 of John Springbat. In 1610 a daughter Jane is born but entries do not start to become frequent until the second half of the century when they are all recorded as Springbat. However, in 1766 Matthew Springbett was buried. His baptismal entry records 'Matthew son of Edward Springbatt ye miller and Jane his wife baptised July 9th 1699'. This may record the start of the use of Springbett by the Wilsford family. Whereas the name Springbatt is no longer in use, the Springbett's are represented by a number of families currently, including branches in Gawler, S. Australia and the Herne Hill area of London, all of whom are believed to be descendants of the Wilsford family.
1237 et Symoni Springald re works at
Marlborough.
1270 Sawal' de Sp(r)ingefeud witness to an Essex deed at Little Waltham - translated as Sewell of Springfield.
1289 14th January Wilton - William Le Pekere taken for slaying Stephen Spiring.
1298 Thomas Springehese or Sprengehuese rector of mediety of Shilling Okeford.
1332 Knook Wm. Spiring
Tax Lists Hannington Alice Spiryng Cawdon hundred Wm. Spryngham
Bishopstone Wm. Spryngham
Bowerchalke Wm. Spryngham
Upper Stratton John Spryngham
Thomas Springot Mere
Robert Spryngot
Henry Springot Chippenham
1337 Inquisitions post mortum Wm. Jardeuille
at Woodberghe
17th Dec 1337 Edmund Springhose.
1347 Rogerus Spiryng Heytesbury
1470 circa. various references to the place - Springfield in Essex in Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds refer to it as Springefeld, Sprinkefeld and Springefeud. There is mention of Adam de Springefeud, Walter de Springefeld and the town of Springefeud in Middelheye Wood. Edward IV's time
1557 Yelsebeth Springbed married Wyllyam Heward at Urchfont, Wiltshire.
1577 Lent Assizes Isaac Spryng of Urchfont, Wiltshire - tailor
1583 Springbat Reg. of
Urchfont quoted by O.G.Knapp in work on unusual surnames 1939
held by Society of Genealogists.
1583 John Springbat married Alce Evans at
Urchfont (perhaps the reference found above by O.G.Knapp)
1594 Thomas Springbat
married Eliz. Burry at Beechingstoke
1588-9 Erchefont Freeholders Wm. Springe
1600 Joanne Springferd married Joseph Halle at
St Katherine's by the Tower of London.
1607 Ramsbury hundred Fines before the clerk
of the market
Thomas Springe of the same for not appearing
with his weights and measures.
1608 John Springbat
married Jane King or Knight at Wilsford
1629 Richard Springfoote
married Jane Bartlett at All Cannings.
1631-2 Lord Pembrokes manors Wm. Speringe (60)
and John Speringe (18) his son at Stoke Farthing.
1657 Ann Springford
married Daniell Chanler in All Cannings
1657 Richard Springford
married Barbara Fowle in All Cannings
1669 Jeane Springford married John Loveday at
Bishopstone near Salisbury.
1680 Cicely Springbet of Wilsford makes her will witnessed by Michael Springbet and Edward Springbit (their own signatures).
1695 Entry in the Memorandum Book of Tho.
Gardiner of Tytherton Lucas records the death of John Springford
before 1695.
1695 William Springford marries in Melksham
1759 Samuel Springbelt of
Wilsford makes his will
1780 Isaac Springford
alias Springbatt of Melksham makes his will
1783 Mary Springwerd married Tho. Cogswell at
Hilperton.
1793 Eliz. Springwood married James Evens at
Hilperton.
The study of surnames is known as Etymology, notable experts being Canon Bardsley and Dr Reaney. Both compiled dictionaries of British surnames but neither included either Springford or Springbatt.
This in itself is not suprising, Springbatt fell into dis-use at about the start of the nineteenth century. Springford was distributed very narrowly throughout southern England with a concentration in the Devizes area and another in the South West Ham area of East London. Without any notable bearers of the surname, and with a comparatively few households (probably less than 30 in 1875) of the name, it is easy to see how it was missed.
This position is changing; bearers of the
surname are much more widely distributed now. Although in 1991
there were Telephone Directory entries in Scotland (4) Preston (2)
and some other isolated entries for the north of England, the
majority are in London and the Home Counties with few even
remaining in the west of the country.
The latest UK Electoral Rolls which list adults (age 18 plus)
show 172 adults named Springford when consulted this year (2000).
Other sources have estimated the US Springford population at
about 50; Canada 90; Australia 30; New Zealand 60 and UK 400.
This gives an estimated worldwide population of about 630 persons.
The name has come to the attention of commercial businesses selling popular heraldic merchandise. Certificates can be purchased for framing containing paragraphs of explanation regarding the origin of Springford; in which one claims 'Spring' to mean copse, plantation or thicket set out to grow into larger trees, and 'ford' to indicate that the name bearer dwelt by a copse near a ford. They go on to describe the arms of the Spring family of Suffolk implying that these relate to Springford. This type of conjecture is likely to be repeated in the future.
One of the most convincing explanation of Springbat I have arrived at, which I confess is guesswork, comes from the work of Bardsley. In his origin of the name 'Hurlbatt' he confirms a theory of mine that the name is of the 'Shake-speare' type.
THEORY: ONE A similar meaning to 'Shake-spear'
He says that 'a hurl-bat' could be a nickname for someone who demonstrated prowess in the old game of Hurling. The bat for hurling was called a 'clubbe' or 'hurle-batte' This view makes the case for Spring-bat meaning 'cudgel'. Whether this is a correct guess I do not know. Was the original bearer a soldier, wool-beater or sportsman or is another explanation more likely?
THEORY TWO : "The Poacher"
A 'spring' was a snare used for catching birds
'bat' = Bat-Fowling - taking small birds at
night.
Both words are closely related and connected to bat fowling - some form of trapping birds. It may explain why when sensibility changed the name became undesirable. Shakespeare refers to 'Springes' to catch woodcocks (although the pronounciation seems to be 'sprinjes') and to bat-fowling
The argument against this is that I have no
evidence that these terms were in use when surnames were being
formed in 12th century. The strongest doubt would be that the
family seems to have one point of origin and was extremely small
when parish records began circa 1530. This suggests that
Springbat derived from another name which perhaps survived from
earlier times such as Spring, Springett etc.
THEORY THREE: "It's a derivative of another name"
There were bearers of the surname SPRING in Urchfont, Wiltshire in the 16th century alongside the earliest Springbats. This is highly coincidental in a small village. In a work about 'Bells ofthe County of Wilts' published by the Wiltshire Archaelogical & Natural History Society (1855), there is reference to inscriptions on bells 4 & 7 at Erchefont of: 'William Springe, William. Barnes, Churchwardens 1658'.
Spring and Batt are both Wiltshire surnames.
Springot seems more likely to have become
Springett ?
Spiring is phonetically like Spring and
there are early references to Spirings in Wilts.
Spirat
Spring and Ford are both Wiltshire surnames
Springhose
Is it possible that the suffix was added to
distingiush two Spring families in the same village?
i.e. John Spring married to Mary Ford and John Spring married to
Mary Batt? It could explain why descendants felt that both names
belonged to one family.
An early reference in All Cannings is to Richard Springfoote but this seems to be isolated and I have since found an earlier Springferd reference.
THEORY FOUR: "It's a name distinct from Springbat from the place-name in Essex - Springfield"
The name de Springfeud in old Essex deeds
circa 1270 offers an interesting and desirable solution to the
problem of the name's origin. I am rather afraid that Springford
seems to be exclusively a Wiltshire name and the alias Springbat
gives rise to doubt that it travelled across England and survived
on a tenuous thread of descent avoiding public documents for many
centuries, to be conveniently mixed up and adopted by a family
called Springbat.
THEORY FIVE
Springbelt is from Springveldt and is Dutch.
Whilst it is true that Flemish weavers settled in Wiltshire I
thing this is creative guesswork. I saw it in a book about
surnames. My guess is that the writer saw Springbelt which was
used by one of the Wilsford Springbat/bets and attempted to
explain its origin relating it to Springveldt. I firmly believe
that this aberration was a 'one off' and that the family was
Springbat later Springbett. There was no Springbelt family as
such.
Suggestion are always welcomed!
Click here to return
to Home Page
© Gordon Springford
www.springford.co.uk
