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  1. #1

    Default Origin of Jeffreys in Scottish Borders

    I've been researching my 'Jeffrey' ancestors, and have traced them back to the 1650s in Polwarth. I'm very interested in the origin of the Jeffreys, and have come up with the following from various sources:
    “There is a tradition in the family that the Jeffreys came from France with William the Conqueror, and settled in Great Britain. I understand there are old records in Swinton House showing that Jeffreys, as blacksmiths, have been in Riselaw or in the district for fully 600 years.”
    “A Constant Reader,” The Berwick Journal, 19 January 1888
    “Berwickshire is full of Jeffreys – we are told the name stems from the Norman Geoffre.”
    Violet James
    London, England 1985
    “Most of the Jeffreys were blacksmiths, and they had practically a monopoly on blacksmithing in the southeast fringe of Scotland. There is a tale that they were JAFFRAYs, French armourers. It would certainly seem that all of them were somehow related.”
    Harriet D. Jeffrey, Yarker, Ontario, Canada 1990

    Does anyone have any information or comments about these possible origins? Especially since I've I recently read, in "Duns - Burgh on the Merse," by James Denham (2016), an angle on the French possibility:

    "In the 17th century, the population [of Polwarth] was increased when a number of Walloon and French Huguenots arrived in the parish fleeing persecution in their own countries. They too had embraced the teaching of John Calvin and, like the Scots, they too denounced Roman Catholic ways. They brought with them at least one new industry, tanning, which became an important source of work to the local people which blended in well with the established local shoe making industry."

    Thanks for any thoughts!

  2. #2

    Default

    The “bible” for Scottish surnames by George F Black says that the name, and its 8 (or more) variants (for example Jaffray is indeed common in the Borders) derive from Geoffroi or Godfrith - the old English version.the earliest written example is from Peebles in 1296, but it was known in Aberdeen before that. The examples Black quotes are mostly merchants and senior tradesmen, but these are the people most likely to leave surviving records, so you can’t judge much by that. The several families in my One Place Study (in Berwickshire) range from farmers to agricultural labs and weavers. There is truth in the claim that people living in the Scotland/England Border area tend to have been Borderers first, and Scots or English second - until the merging of the crowns by James VI, the Border movers quite often.

    It is my understanding that Huguenots were welcome in the Borders (where Polwarth is) because some of the local landowners wanted to start or upgrade weaving in their area, especially the fine fabrics that were the speciality of the Huguenots from the Low Countiries. I do know of one blacksmith line.

    Remember that after the Reformation, starting new sects and arguing over who was right, became a bit of a national sport in Scotland. Some of the Presbyterian sects were remarkably repressive. Some areas, such as the Highlands, remained Catholic.

    Very few surnames descend from a single line.

  3. #3

    Default

    Thanks so much, Leslie! Very interesting. I came across another origin comment, written by Arthur Barnes Jeffrey (deceased). I don't know when he wrote this, though. He is also a descendant of the Jeffreys (Jaffrays) from Polwarth. He states the following:

    According to authorities, the name of Jeffrey is one of several variants of the Norman name, Geoffrey, and has no particular regional significance. The various variants are to be found in many parts of Scotland, England, and Ireland. The Jeffreys listed in my family tree originate from Berwickshire. According to family tradition they are descended from Huguenot refugees from France and the Low Countries who settled in Berwickshire and other parts of Britain late in the 17th century. It was claimed that these ancestors were originally named Joffre. Many of the Huguenots were artisans, particularly weavers, and settled in areas where wool was produced, such as the Eastern Border region. Many of the earlier Jeffreys, listed in my family tree, were blacksmiths and the apparently large number of blacksmiths in such a small area is accounted for by the cattle trade, which was very active around the beginning of the 19th century. Foulden and Mordington were on the main driving route, along which cattle were herded from the Scottish Highlands to the English markets. To avoid damage, the cattle were shod like horses, before leaving Scotland.

    As you mentioned, It will probably never be verifiable which is the actual line these Jeffreys from Polwarth descended from.

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