Barfaut

wie kommt man an die Urkunden von der Stadt Gothmann (Mecklenburg) von 1733 herran

The name Barfaut is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived on farmland near a riverbank. Barfaut is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. There are a variety of types of local surnames, some of which include:topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. In this case, the surname Barfaut was originally derived from the Old English words byrde and feld, which mean riverbank and farmed land. The name The name was also given to those who came from Bardfield, a place in Essex. Documents such as the Domesday Book have survived for 1000 years, providing us with excellent material with which to trace the history of a surname. Extensive study of these ancient records reveal this surname, Barfaut, to be of Anglo Saxon origin.The first record of the Barfaut surname was found in Essex, where they were seated from ancient times.
During research it was noted that the Barfaut surnames was spelled in different ways including Barrfield, Barfield, Barfeild, Bardfield, Bardefeld, Berdefeld, Barfold and these variations would occur even in references to the same person. In order to explain thid phenomenon we must look back to some of the earliest documents written in English. In the 14th century Geoffrey Chaucer, author of Canterbury tales, would spell “told” as “ytold” and “tolde” because at this time spelling rules did not truly exist.
The history of the Anglo-Saxons gives us insight into the early origins of people bearing the Barfaut surname. The Saxons were originally from Germany and began to settle in southeastern England in about the year 400 A.D. The Angles, another Teutonic tribe, occupied the east coast. North of the Saxons. The Angle and Saxon cultures became intertwined as time passed.
After centuries of dominance the Anglo-Saxons lost power after a number of invasions. In 1066 Duke William of Normandy claimed the throne of England and brought an army to enforce his claim. Norman success was confirmed at the Battle of Hastings. However, despite this change of leadership, the culture of England as a whole was an Anglo- Saxon culture.
During this period the Barfaut family was found in Essex, where the name is associated with the village of Bardfield. In the Domesday Book survey of 1086 Bardfield was recorded as a thriving settlement on lands held by Count Eustace and lased to Richard Fritz Gilbert and other nobles, possessing three mills, two beehives, 107 pigs, 200 sheep, 30 goats and 41 cattle. Now two villages, Great Bardfield has a tower windmill while Little Bardfield has a Saxin church. Walter de Bardfield received a grant of land in Bardfield itself in 1175. Early in the family´s history they branched to Worcestershire, where Philip de Bardefeld was registered in 1275, and to Devonshire, where Simon de Berdefeld was living in 1312. From the late Middle Ages through to the industrial revolution the family was witness to a chain of historical events which remade the face of England. The 1300s was a time of social upheaval marked by the spread of the Black Death and a peasant rebellion led by Wat Tyler. The next century was dominated by the War of the Roses, which pitted the rose of the House of Lancaster against The white rose of the House of York in a bitter struggle over control of the crown. By the 1500s, however, England was a state in transition from mediaeval to modern organization and it emerged as the leading naval power in the world. But political discord erupted during the 17th century as the English Civil War between the Crown (Cavaliers) and Parliament (Roundheads) shook the nation before it entered the industrial age. By this time the family had branched to Suffolk,where Samuel Barfield, sometimes record as Barfold, was living at Ixwoth in 1650. Distinguished members of the family include Walter de Bardfield, a prominent 12th century landholder in Essex.
The medieval period was an era of change and uncertainty in England; conflicts occurred often, but tended to be localized to one region. Later, the succession of the Stuarts witnessed the beginning of poitical problems which affected people on a much wider scale. Conflicts between the king and parliament, and between the Catholics and the Protestants, along with plague and the grat fire in London, made the 17th century a turbulent time.
Families settled in Ireland for a variety of reasons. Some went voluntarily, while others were exiles. No record of this family branching to Ireland was found, however, this does not preclude the possibility of individual migration.
The problems at home forced many families to consider beginning a new life in the Americas. Yet the New World presented difficulties never faced before. Unfamiliar soils, climate, and diseases meant that colonists had to adapt or perish. Several of the early English attempts at colonizing North America met with disaster.
Migrants bearing the Barfaut surname, or a variant spelling of this name, include Thomas Barfeild, who sailed to Virginia in 1643. Ann Barfield journeyed to America in 1771.
Settlers began to increasingly look westward, as opportunities arose. In America, the Homstead Act (1862) offered 160acres of land for a minimal fee; while in Cananda, the Dominion Lands Act (1872) offered 160 acres to any male over the age of 21 for a ten dollar registration fee.
Individuals bearing this surname, Barfaut, have continued to distinguish themselves in recent times. Among them: Jessie Barfield, prominent American baseball player.
The coat of arms found for a bearer of the Barfaut surname did not include a motto. Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and many families have chosen not to display a motto.

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