Balmforth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Balmforth

What does the name Balmforth mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Balmforth comes from when the family resided in one of two places named Bamford in the counties of Derbyshire and Lancashire. 1 2

Later records show the name in Yorkshire as well. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words beam, meaning tree or plank, and ford, meaning river crossing. In this case the name referred to a settlement near which there was a tree or plank laid across a river to make a dry crossing. 3

Early Origins of the Balmforth family

The surname Balmforth was first found in Lancashire, where "the estate of Bamford was granted to Thomas de Bamfordby, Sir Adam de Bury, temp. Henry III, for his homage and services." 4

As noted above, Yorkshire was later a stronghold of family as noted by early rolls. The Hundredorum Rolls list Richard de Bamford there in 1273 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Adam Bamforth and Adam de Baumford. 4

Another source notes: "In the 17th century there was an old family of Bamford of Bamford House; there was also another family of Bamford Hall. Jerome Bamford held land in the Mealegate in the manor of Manchester during the reign of Elizabeth. The name was well established in Rochdale parish in the 16th century, and still occurs there. There is a Lancashire village thus called." 5

Early History of the Balmforth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balmforth research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1593, 1594, 1602, 1612, 1613, 1657, 1659, 1738 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Balmforth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balmforth Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Balmforth include Bamford, Banford, Banforth, Balmforth and others.

Early Notables of the Balmforth family

Distinguished members of the family include William Bamford, last of the Bamford Hall line, Sheriff of Lancaster. James Balmford (b. 1556), was an English divine who published in 1593-1594, a 'Short and Plaine Dialogue concerning the unlawfulness of playing at cards,' London. 6Samuel Balmford...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Balmforth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Balmforth family to Ireland

Some of the Balmforth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Balmforth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Balmforth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Balmforth, English woolcomber who was convicted in Yorkshire, England for 10 years for burglary, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1872 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Balmforth (post 1700) +

Mr. Gordon Balmforth B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Music and to charity in Kirklees 8

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1