The Woodforde Family

A history of the Woodforde family from 1300

HOME PAGE

Pro aris et focis

"Interesting, amusing, sometimes charming and sometimes irritating,
but they are never the dim shadows of people long dead."  

(Dorothy Heighes Woodforde)

Latest additions and revisions

27/06/07

New page on the Woodforde Writers of various generations and centuries

23/06/07

Revision and additions to the page on Amy Woodforde-Finden

17/06/07

New requests for information added to the Genealogical Research Page derived from recent emails received

09/12/06

Additional material added to page on Revd Alexander John Woodforde and his descendants

03/12/06

Revision and additions to the page relating to the descent of the Clarke family from Georgina Maud Woodforde (With thanks to Donald Clark)

16/09/06

Revisions and updates applied to the related pages on General William Woodford and the Woodford-Blount-Washington-Light-Cocke families in England and America.

24/06/06

Page on Sir Ralph Woodford and Ashby Folville revised with two new photographs

10/06/06

Some further details added to the USA Woodford-Clark genealogy (descent from Georgina Woodforde of Locking, Somerset, England)

22/05/06

A musician and singer talks about her respect for the Music of Amy Woodforde-Finden.  You can hear Sarah Green's own interpretation of the Indian Love Lyrics by visiting this page

15/05/06

Extensive updates and additions to the page on the Barony of Carleby

Some quick links within this site

A personal pedigree
A family pedigree from the earliest person known to have assumed the surname of Woodford(e) through twentyfour generations to the owner of this website.

Links section
Visit this page for details of useful relevant sites listed alphabetically in subject categories. Your suggestions for appropriate links would be appreciated.

Research Section
The location of other source material in libraries, record offices and other collections is being added here. Your suggestions will help to develop this resource.

Amy Woodforde-Finden
I am anxious to trace an image of Amy. Source suggestions will be gratefully received and acknowledged here. 

Woodforde arms at Ashby Folville church

Woodforde geographical locations

As a place name , the word Woodford simply means a `ford in or by a wood' as from the Old English wudu + ford.

Examples include Woodford in Greater London (Wodefort in Domesday Book 1086), Woodford in Greater Manchester (Wideford 1248), Woodford near Thrapston in Northamptonshire (Wodeford in Domesday Book 1986), Woodford Halse, also in Northamptonshire and also Wodeford in Domesday Book 1086, and the settlement with which this family is associated, namely Woodford in Wiltshire, the earliest reference being Wuduforda in 972.

Mills. A.D., Dictionary of English Place-names, OUP, 1997

 

The American Association

In recognition of the considerable research into the Woodford(e) family being undertaken by members of the family in the USA and Australia, I would very much like to find the connections between these families and the English Woodfords.

The earliest of these Woodfords to have moved to America would seem - based on current knowledge - to have been William Woodford (1700-1744) known as  "The Immigrant" who married Ann Cocke, daughter of Dr. William Cocke (1672-1720) and Ann "Nancy" Jekyll Catesby.  

William Woodford was, of course, the father of General William Woodford (1734-1780) who fought with George Washington and was related to Washington. A descent can also be traced from the Woodford family of Leicestershire in England to George Washington.

Does anyone have an earlier date and name? It would be of tremendous help to hear from anyone in these countries who can trace their roots to a Woodford in England. 

I have a number of unproven leads which I can follow up here in England.  I look forward to hearing from you!  You can email me direct from here.

 

 

Samuel Woodforde RA Self-portrait (1805) bequeathed to the  Royal Academy by his widow in 1860

Please start here!

A complete list of pages and subjects is given in the
Site Map which also has a facility for a keyword search of this website.  There is a similar search facility below which is a very quick way of checking whether a member of your family is listed here.

Ashby Folville Church - June 2006

Welcome

This site was created to further research into the history of the Woodford(e) family that originated in the parish of Woodford in the County of Wiltshire, England.

Contributions in the form of articles, images, pedigrees or brief queries are always welcomed. 

I will acknowledge fully all material published, and respect all copyright, and I will only publish after obtaining your permission. Your comments on the layout and content of this site are especially welcome.

Please feel free to contact me here

A warm welcome to subscribers to the Woodford Listings on Genealogy.com.  I hope this website may help you in your research, and I would appreciate any additions you may wish to make to the research you find here.

Locking Parish Church, Somerset from a  watercolour by Revd Alexander John Woodforde

The Revd James Woodforde

The most well-known member of the family is undoubtedly the Revd James Woodforde whose diaries have been published by Oxford University Press and by the Parson Woodforde Society at various dates since 1920. However, many other members of the family wrote diaries which have survived to the present day.

Please take a look at this Yahoo group, Woodforde's Country, which has messages and pictures relating to the villages in the Weston Longville area of Norfolk where the Revd James Woodforde served as the minister for many years.

Revd James Woodforde by Samuel Woodforde RA

Puzzled?

If you are looking for a brewery, then you have reached the wrong site! The Woodforde Ales website has a similar web address but we are not connected (except that the brewery is named after the gentleman above!)

You can move on to the brewery's site, but please take a look around our site first!

Col William Woodforde by  Samuel Woodforde RA