Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Dunsford
Variants: Dunsforde
Category: 3 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is well under way on a global basis.
DNA website: www.familytreedna.com/groups/dunsford
Contact: Mr Robert Dunsford
If your surname is Dunsford, it is almost certain that some of your ancestors lived in the small Devon town of Bradninch. Its parish registers record their baptisms and marriages and burials in the Church of St. Disens (pictured above), as far back as 1561. A stained glass window in the church hall commemorates the family. So, if you want to know more, read on.
The history of the surname is extremely unusual. Not only have I established that all Dunsfords can trace their ancestry back to Bradninch, I have also found where and when the surname probably originated, namely in the city of York around the year 1400. I had previously assumed that it must have originated from the Devon village of Dunsford, 17 miles from Bradninch, but I can find no evidence of a Devon origin, whereas the evidence of a York origin is persuasive, but not conclusive. The York origin was completely unexpected.
My grandfather, who died before I was born, claimed he was from Bradninch in Devon. Curious to discover if I had Devon origins I tracked down a copy of his birth certificate, which confirmed Bradninch as his birth place. I then traced my great, and great, great grandfathers, also in Bradninch. I had been warned that family history can be compulsive, and so it proved. After several interesting and very productive visits to Devon Record Office I had traced my ancestors back to the 1560's, still in Bradninch. I had also found half a dozen or so family trees, pedigrees and a set of memoirs, some going back hundreds of years, relating to different branches of the family. They all had one thing in common. Every single one traced a line of ancestors back to Bradninch. Could it be that all people with the Dunsford surname can trace their ancestry to Bradninch? In an attempt to answer this question, I started the one name study.
The earliest British census in 1841 records some 50 families of Dunsfords in England and Wales. I have traced 49 of these back to Bradninch. I have recently been in touch with a number of people who have independently traced their Dunsford ancestry back to Bradninch. I believe that all this, together with the family trees and pedigrees makes it highly likely that all Dunsfords can trace their ancestry back to Bradninch.
An enduring mystery concerning the earliest Dunsfords I have traced in the Bradninch parish registers, is that several of them were involved in legal disputes in the Courts of Chancery and Star Chamber concerning land ownership. Quite where they acquired the legal expertise and knowledge, and money, to pursue these disputes, is, still something of a mystery, but it provided the first clue to something very unexpected and unusual in the early history of the family.
Information contained in almost a dozen legal cases fought in the late 1500's and early 1600's in the Courts of Chancery, Exchequer, and Star Chamber, shows that up to the mid seventeenth century most, if not all the Dunsfords in and around Bradninch were farmers. The disputes are about a farm and land at what is now Park Farm in the parish of Uffculme, some 7 miles from Bradninch. Some of them are described as Yeomen farmers. It is not entirely clear how a family of farmers in rural Devon had the means and knowledge to bring such cases to court, but later discoveries began to point the way to something quite extraordinary. In a later dispute the Lord of the Manor of Bradninch sued Jeffrey Dunsford (baptised 28.5.1562) and Robert Dunsford (buried 14.4.1631) for not grinding their corn at his mill in 1626. A Parliamentary Survey carried out in 1650 showed that almost all of them were no longer farming. Most of the extended family had left Bradninch and settled in Tiverton, some 8 miles away. Their early years in Tiverton were marred by persecution for their Puritan beliefs, two of them being imprisoned for an entire winter. Their treatment in Tiverton may give a clue as to why so many left their ancestral home of Bradninch. By 1642 Civil War had broken out between the King and Parliament, led by Puritans. Most of the land in the Manor of Bradninch was owned by the King's eldest son, who probably did not not want Puritans farming his land. (The current Prince of Wales still owns over 3,000 acres on 13 farms in Bradninch.) Exactly when they left the land is not known. They were still farming well after the start of the Civil War in 1642 because the 'Memoirs of the Family of Dunsford' by Martin Dunsford (see below) recount ' During the civil wars the children almost constantly attended the cattle and were obliged to use many stratagems to prevent them being seized and driven away by the numerous parts of soldiers, royalists and republicans, as each in their turns succeeded and scoured the country for provisions and forage.'
Evidence is now emerging, that the persecution may also have taken place in Bradninch. In 1653 Richard Dunsford was appointed public registrar of Bradninch by Robert Shapcote who had served as a colonel in Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary Army in the recent civil war between the Parliamentarians and Royalists loyal to the King. It would therefore seem that Richard's sympathies lay with the Parliamentarians. In a town like Bradninch, which was largely owned by the Royal family, most people would have thought that their interests were best served by supporting the Royalists, which could create the possibility of conflict with Richard and other Dunsfords. In 1648 Richard took out a 4 year lease of land at Park Place, Bradninch . In 1650 Parliament carried out a detailed survey of land ownership in the parish of Bradninch, which found that Park Place was not, as you may expect, occupied by Richard, but by a number of people, none of whom could produce any documentation supporting their right to occupy the land. It therefore seems that Richard had been illegally evicted from the land, possibly by force. Furthermore, Richard did not appear before the Parliamentary Commissioners, suggesting he was intimidated from doing so. Three other farms in Bradninch were also occupied by people who could not provide evidence of their right to do so. I estimate that before the civil war, three families of Dunsfords were farming in Bradninch, so had they also been illegally evicted? The fact that several Dunsford families left Bradninch around this time suggests this may have been the case.
Whatever the reasons for this exodus from the land, the impact on later generations of our ancestors was profound. They were forced to find other ways to earn a living, and many were remarkably successful. The trades and professions on which they made their mark include:- cloth makers, cloth merchants, wine merchants, cutlers, bankers (the former Dunsford Bank in Fore Street, Tiverton is now a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland. A framed document in the assistant manager's office records the origins of the branch as 'Dunsford and Company'.), sea captains,a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, (Midshipman George Dunsford, later Lieutenant, served aboard H.M.S. Leviathan at the Battle of Trafalgar), pilots in the Royal Air Force, coastguards, lighthouse keepers, (George Henry Dunsford served as assistant lightkeeper in the famous Bishop Rock Lighthouse, the most south westerly bastion of the British Isles), surgeons, nurses, vets, jewellers, innkeepers, carpenters, woolcombers, cordwainers, blacksmiths, accountants, printers, chemists, florists, tailors, miners (owners and hewers),policemen, railway policemen, journalists, barristers; two sheriffs (of Exeter), and at least one master dredger; and a general in the Bengal Army. The efforts of some at least did not go entirely unnoticed. Decorations include the D.S.O.; C.B.;V.O.; and M.B.E. My father was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour by the French government, for his role in storming Sword Beach on D-Day.
One branch of the family living in the neighbouring parish of Broadclyst appeared to escape the persecution and continued farming through the 18th and 19th centuries and some of their descendants are still farming in South Australia to this day. Other descendants of this branch were amongst the earliest settlers farming in Upper Canada (now the Province of Ontario). Family stories from the Canadian branch suggest that some of them ventured on to the 'Oregon Trail', but I have yet to trace any of them.
Bradninch has a long and unusual history. The Domesday Book records it as the largest of all the 46 manors in Devon. A castle was built on Castle Hill by the Saxons in the seventh century. Its town charter was granted by Reginald, Earl of Cornwall in 1141. During medieval times its market became one of the most important in Devon, particularly for trade in wool and woollen products. There is some evidence that some of the earliest Dunsfords were involved in this trade. In 1337 King Edward III made his eldest son, also called Edward, ( and who later became famous as 'The Black Prince'), the Duke of Cornwall, and Baron of Bradninch. Since that time, up to the present day, the Monarch's eldest son has been the Lord of the Manor of Bradninch. Prince William, the Prince of Wales, currently holds the title. A number of royal visits have been made to the town, and photographs of some of the more recent can be seen in the town's Guild Hall. A commemorative stone above the door of the Guild Hall, records that it was laid on May 17 1921 by Edward Prince of Wales, who later achieved fame and some notoriety as the uncrowned King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in 1936. Because of the town's Royal connections, the choristers of St Disen's Anglican church wear similar red vestments as those worn by the choir of St. George's Chapel, Windsor castle.
With the help of other people researching the surname, I have traced branches of the family in the U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. I would be interested to hear from anyone trying to trace their Dunsford ancestry. There is a good chance I may have information leading back as far as the sixteenth century.
I have written a brief 21 page account of the earliest Dunsfords for which records have been found. It starts with Domesday Book (1086), but is mainly concerned with the extended family of farmers who lived in Bradninch in the 1500's and 1600's and later in Tiverton. It should be of interest to anyone with the surname Dunsford as the people mentioned in it are our direct ancestors or their close relatives. The events described, traumatic as some of them were would have been witnessed by all our ancestors. They cover the events of the English Civil War (1642 - 1648), including the persecution of the Dunsfords for their religious beliefs and their eviction from their farms. I am happy to email a copy of the account. Please contact me by email.
In June 2020 I wrote an article entitled "The Dunsfords of Bradninch and York - a Tale of the Unexpected". The Guild published it the following month in their "Journal of One Name Studies." It describes some of the early history of the family and discusses a probable origin of the surname. I can email a copy to anyone who may be interested. In April 2021 the article won an award. See https://one-name.org/about-the-guild/guild-award-of-excellence
There is overwhelming evidence that the name can be traced back to Devon, which does not necessarily mean that the name originated in that county. The latest research, currently being undertaken suggests it may have a Yorkshire origin. The IGI ( International Genealogical Index compiled by the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, the 'Mormons') records over 600 Dunsfords in Devon, 22 in Cornwall and 59 in London. No other county has more than 8. The parish registers for Bradninch have not been transcribed on to the IGI. If they were, the number of entries for Devon would exceed 1,000.
Lists of taxpayers in the Devon Lay Subsidy Returns for 1524 and 1543, and the Devon Protestation Return for 1641 show the name to be concentrated exclusively in and around Bradninch.
Of 50 families of Dunsfords identified on the 1841 census, 49 have been traced back to Bradninch.
Most, but not all Devon parish registers can now be searched on the Find My Past website. A search of the earliest registers found further compelling evidence that all Dunsfords can trace their ancestry back to Bradninch. Between 1558 and 1658, a total of 53 baptisms of Dunsfords were traced in the registers. Forty three of them took place in Bradninch. Of the remaining ten, nine of the fathers baptising the children, were themselves baptised in Bradninch. Such a close distribution of the name in and around one town is unusual. Surnames developed some 200 years earlier, so a wider spread of the name might be expected. There seem to be two possible explanations for this unusual distribution. One is that there was a change in surname shortly before 1524, probably from a similar sounding name, such as Dunford or Durnsford. I can find no evidence for this. Very few records of Dunford or Durnsford have been found in Devon before 1500. The other is that someone with the surname Dunsford moved to Devon from another county. The latest research now suggests that this is what happened.
P. H. Reaney in "A Dictionary of English Surnames" states that the name originates from both the village of Dunsford in Devon, and the Yorkshire villages of Upper and Lower Dunsforth. The name could originate from the picturesque village of Dunsford which lies in the Teign valley, where it descends from Dartmoor, some 15 miles south west of Bradninch. Professor David Hey, formerly of Sheffield University, in his book 'Family Names and Family History' states that surnames which originate from place names, even to this day display a concentration within a 20 mile radius of the place of origin. Distribution of the name certainly falls within this pattern.
The Domesday Book lists the village of Dunsford under 'Lands of the King's Thanes'. A Thane was an Anglo Saxon nobleman who held land given by the King in return for military service. The Thanes holding Dunsford are named as Saewulf (pronounced sea wolf) and Alsi. George Lichigaray Dunsford in his 'Pedigree of the Family of Dunsford' claims Saewulf was the earliest known ancestor of all Dunsfords. Unfortunately he offers no evidence to support his claim, which is a pity as it would be nice to think that all Dunsfords are descended from someone with a name like Sea Wolf.
When I first visited Bradninch in 1994, the house at 14 Fore Street, at the centre of the village opposite the Guild Hall was named "Dunsford House". The occupier told me that it was so named because the whole area in the corner formed by Fore Street and New Street used to be called "Dunsfords". She did not know why. I do not understand the significance of this, and it is currently under investigation.
As mentioned earlier in this section on the origin of the surname, recent research seems to point to Yorkshire as the county where the surname arose. No record of the surname has been found in Devon earlier than 1470. In recent years many medieval documents have become searchable online at many websites such as the National Archives (T.N.A.) and Devon Record Office (D.R.O.) , and many others such as British History Online. Many universities in the UK and USA have also put transcripts of such documents online. Extensive searching of such sites has found 31 records of the surname before 1524 in only one county, namely Yorkshire, and 23 of them were in the city of York. This finding was very unexpected. The records found are set out below in date order
1302 Henry de Dunsforth (Dunsford), merchant of York, creditor of John le Procratour. TNA ref. C/241/36/82.
1306 Henry de Dunsforth (Dunsford) named as an executor of Henry de Ryedale deceased in a case involving William, son of Robert de Stavelay of York. TNA ref C241/49/286.
1310 Henry de Donesford re land in Micklegate, York. Yorkshire Deeds Y.A.S Vol LXXXIII. (Yorkshire Archaeological Society).
1313 Henry de Donesford re land in Micklegate, York. Yorkshire Deeds Y.A.S. Vol VIII.
1306 Henry de Dunsforth (Dunsford) of York, creditor of Robert de Plompton. TNA ref C/241/49/278.
1334 Henry de Dunsford re tenement of Robert de Wald in Petergate, York. Lancashire Archives ref RCHY3/2/37.
1348 John de Dunsford, in Feet of Fines, York. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names.
1350 John de Dunsford of York, creditor of William de Acaster TNA ref C/241/128/55.
1355 Thomas de Dunsford, tanner, admitted to the Freedom of York.
1379 West Riding of Yorkshire Poll Tax, lists Petrus de Dunsford at Knaresborough, Johannes de Dunsford at Allerton Mauleverer, Johannes de Dunsford at Little Ouseburn, and yet another Johannes de Dunsford at Little Ribston. All the locations are within 5 miles of Lower Dunsforth and 15 miles of York.
1381 Robertus de Dunsford, wolleman (woolman), admitted to the Freedom of York.
1381 Poll Tax Return for York lists Robertus de Dunsford, a labourer, and Thomas de Dunsford, a tanner.
1383 Thomas Dunsforth was a witness in a legal case concerning the vicar of Huggate in the East Riding of Yorkshire, 15 miles from York. Cause Papers in the Diocesan Court of York, at the Borthwick Institute.
1389 Ric de Dunsforth, fyshmonger, admitted to the Freedom of York. Surtees Society, Freemen of York. He could be the same person as Richard Dunsford buried in 1429, which would show how de Dunsforth became Dunsford.
1393 Robert de Dunsford. Probate granted in York 11.11.1393. York Registry Deeds at the Borthwick Institute.
1399 John Dunesforth at Cokewold (Coxwold). Inquisitions post mortem Y.A.S. Vol LIX.
1403 John de Dunesford at Allerton (Mauleverer?) Inquisitions post mortem Y.A.S. Vol LIX.
1421 Richard Dunford at York. Inquisitions post mortem Y.A.S. Vol LIX.
1426 John Dunsford was appointed vicar of Stainton 30 miles from York,in what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire, and now in South Yorkshire.
1427 Richard Dunford at York. Inquisitions post mortem Y.A.S. Vol LIX.
1427/8 Henry Dunsford. Probate granted 5.2.1427/8. Buried York St Denys, Walmgate. York Registry Deeds at the Borthwick Institute.
1429 Richard Dunsford, fishmonger. Probate granted 7.10.1429. Buried St Michael Spurriergate. York Registry Deeds at the Borthwick Institute.
1439 Johanes Dunsford, chapman (itinerant dealer), son of Ricardi Dunsforth, admitted to the Freedom of York.
1441 William Conesby left "my sword" (gladium meum) to John Dunsforth. Surtees Society Testamentum Eboracensia, Vol. II, p.82.
1453 John Dunsford, baker. Probate granted 18.7.1453. Buried St Martin's Micklegate. York Registry Deeds at the Borthwick Institute.
1454 Thomas Dunsford re third tenement outside Mikillyth (Micklegate), tax of 2s 6d levied for Pentecost and Martinmas terms. York Bridgemasters' accounts.
1457 Thomas Dunsford re the third tenement at Mikillyth (Micklegate), tax of 2s 6d levied for Martinmas term. York Bridgemasters' accounts.
The villages of Upper and Lower Dunsforth lie 10 miles north west of York, and would seem to be the origin of the name in York, having first been in the form de Dunsforth (i.e. a man from the village of Dunsforth); then de Dunsford; and finally Dunsford. Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 writes the village's name as "Dunesforde".It seems that the "th" and "d" sounds were interchangeable in this period. The above records seem to show convincing evidence that the surname arose in York in the 1300s and 1400s. The question is, did the surname have another separate origin, probably in Devon. So far no evidence of a Devon origin has been found, which is puzzling and unexpected. If anyone finds a record of the surname in Devon earlier than 1470, I would be very interested to hear of it.
I have found no records of the surname in Yorkshire later than 1457. The surname seems to have died out in Yorkshire after 1457. The earliest record I have found in Devon is in Bradninch in 1470. Is it possible that some or all of the York Dunsfords moved to Devon in the late 1400s. At first this seemed unlikely, but a number of facts have come to light which make it more likely that this could have happened.
Is there any connection between York and Bradninch? As mentioned earlier, Bradninch had and still has close connections with the Royal family, and so did York, which on several occasions was the effective capital of England during the middle ages, especially when the King was waging war against the Scots. Richard Duke of York became King Richard III in 1483, and then bestowed several titles on his son, including Baron of Bradninch and Duke of Cornwall. The extensive landholdings of the Duchy of Cornwall were, and still are administered from Bradninch. This, of course proves nothing, but it raises the possibility that someone working for the Royal household could have moved from York to Bradninch. But why make such a move?
During the later 1400s, York entered a period of serious economic decline, resulting in a large drop in population. There is evidence that some families moved out of Yorkshire.
York was an important centre for the wool trade, as were Exeter and Bradninch. At least one of the York Dunsfords was engaged in the wool trade.
York was a port in the Middle Ages as was Exeter, some 10 miles from Bradninch. It would be possible to travel between them by boat, probably with changes at Hull and London.
The distribution of the surname in York in the 1300s and 1400s, and then in Bradninch in the 1500s is consistent with a family moving to from York to Bradninch in the late 1400s or early 1500s.
In 1398 a Robert Dunsford was admitted to Cambridge University, King's Hall, to train as a clerk to the Court of Chancery. York was an important legal centre in medieval times, but so was Bradninch. Charles Croslegh in his book on the history of Bradninch, quotes extensively from the court rolls of 1572-3 of cases involving people from all over Devon.
It has never been clear how a family of farmers living in rural Devon would have had either the knowledge or the means to bring nine legal cases to the Courts of Chancery, Exchequer and Star Chamber in the late 1500s. If their ancestors had been court clerks, or even merchants, then this could possibly provide an explanation.
Family name historians have compiled lists of surnames which appear to have originated in Devon. Perhaps the best known is “Guppy's list” compiled in the 1890s, and updated by Max Hooper, and then by Brian Randell in 2016. It does not list Dunsford as a Devon surname, so these well respected researchers seem to have found no early records of the name. Similarly Brian Postles in “The surnames of Devon” makes no mention of the surname.
I have searched the Devon Heritage Centre for records which have not been put on the internet, such as their card index of personal names; the Burnett Morris index of names; inquisitions post mortem; feet of fines; Freemen of the City of Exeter 1266-1967; Assize Rolls. I have found no record of the surname Dunsford earlier than 1500, apart from one record in Bradninch in 1470, so is it possible to say with certainty that no Dunsfords were living in Devon in the 1300s and 1400s? It comes down to the problem of negative evidence. Just because you cannot find something does not prove that it does not or never existed. All I can say is that if they were living in Devon at this time, then some record of their lives really should have come to light by now.
A search of the Bradninch manorial records held in the National Archives at Kew revealed the following:-
From 1418 to 1469, no record of the surname was found.
The first record of the surname occurred in 1470 when William Dunsford was fined for non appearance at the Court Leet.
The next records of the name were in 1507 and 1509 when John Dounsford was prosecuted for felling and carrying away the King's oak trees.
Between 1521 and 1547, Thomas Dunsford's name appears 65 times, mainly concerning stray animals on his land.
Between 1530 and 1559, Roger Dunsford's name is recorded on 22 occasions, 5 of them regarding stray animals, 5 times as a juror, and 7 times concerning the repair of hedges at Bowhill Farm. Bowhill Farm is currently the location of the offices where the Duchy of Cornwall's estate is administered.
What is it possible to deduce from these facts?
The non-appearance of the name for over 50 years from 1418 to 1469 must mean that it is very likely that no one with the surname was living in Bradninch. Professor David Hey has estimated that 85% of adult males appeared in manorial records, so for a period covering 2 or 3 generations, it is reasonable to assume no one of that name was in Bradninch.
William Dunsford's appearance in 1470 must mean that he had moved to Bradninch from elsewhere, but where? The only records of the surname earlier than 1470 in the whole country are those found in and around York, the last one being in 1457, 13 years earlier. If William had moved from York, this is exactly what you would expect to find. If the surname had arisen in Devon 100 years or so earlier, there really should be some record of the name in Devon, and it should also have a greater geographical distribution. The 1524 Lay Subsidy records only 4 Dunsfords in the whole of Devon, Thomas and Roger in Bradninch, John in neighbouring Silverton, and Richard in Cadeleigh 5 miles from Bradninch. Such a restricted distribution is consistent with all 4 of them being descended from William.
From the information we have on the York Dunsfords it is not possible to work out family relationships, but it does look as if all are descended from Henry de Dunsforth who first appears in 1302. He was a merchant, and he lived in or had an interest in a property in Petergate, one of the main streets of central York. The property is described as being "between the King's highway (Petergate) and land in possession of the dean. The deanery no longer exists, but old maps show it clearly. Only one short stretch of Petergate fits this description, the 50 yards on the north east side between Stonegate and Grape Lane. This places the man who is probably the earliest known ancestor at the heart of one of England's most ancient and best preserved cities.
In conclusion, I think it is fair to say that all available evidence points to the surname Dunsford as having originated in York. There is no evidence of any other point of origin. It seems to be a case where no one piece of evidence proves conclusively that the surname originated in York, but taken together all the above facts point strongly to York as the place where the surname originated.
One of the most recently published (2016) and comprehensive surname dictionaries "The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland" lists 6 records of the name in Northern England dating to before 1500, with 5 of them in Yorkshire, and only one in Southern England, for Edwardus Dunsford in 1377, in Mildenhall, Wiltshire. Could the latter be evidence of a separate origin of the name in South West England? The Mildenhall community website contains a copy of "The History of Minal", which includes the following statement. In 1261 "John de Dunnesford was the owner of Durnsford Mill." Durnsford Mill still stands on the north bank of the river Kennet, half a mile east of Mildenhall. The most likely explanation of these facts is that Edwardus Dunsford was a descendant of John de Dunnesford, and there was indeed a separate origin of the surname, in Mildenhall, with the surname being taken in a slightly changed form from the name of the mill. However a lack of any later records of the surname means it almost certainly died out.
John de Dunsford paid 3 shillings annual rent for a house towards North Gate Exeter, Devon in 1260-1. He may be the earliest known Dunsford ancestor, but it has not been possible to trace a link from him to the earliest proven ancestors. The failure to find any records of the surname in Devon between 1261 and 1470, seems to cast doubt on the surname having its origin in Devon.
The Biographical Register of the University of Cambridge to 1500' by A.B. Emden, records the admission of Robert Dunsford to King's Hall (now part of Trinity College) on 8 January 1398. He gained a B.A. in 1409 and an M.A. in 1414-15. King's Hall was founded by King Edward II in 1317 to provide chancery clerks for his administration.
The author, sergemaker, antiquary, and political and religious reformer, Martin Dunsford (1744 - 1807) in his 'Memoirs of the Family of Dunsford' describes the family as 'remarkable for a long mediocrity of station in the useful employments of life'. In his roles as churchwarden, portreeve and overseer of the poor at Tiverton, he promoted interdenominational Sunday schools, and the introduction of free seating in the parish church. He also wrote "Historical Memoirs of Tiverton" (1790); "Miscellaneous Observations during Two Tours in the South Western Part of England" (1800); He merits an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography in Volume 17, page 337.
Richard Dunsford B.A. (1604 - 1659) was appointed schoolmaster of Bradninch school on 24 May 1638, and Public Registrar for Bradninch with responsibility for recording baptisms, marriages and burials on 8 October 1653.
Thomas Dunsford (1635 - 1719) and his brother Martin Dunsford (1632 - 1710) spent an entire winter in Tiverton gaol as punishment for their non conformist beliefs. There are records of informers rushing into their houses on Sunday mornings and emptying pots of cooking food onto the floor and carrying them away to pay fines for non - conformity. Martins' son, also called Martin (1662 - 1713) built the Baptist church in 1704 in Kingsbridge, Devon, where he was one of the earliest Baptist pastors. Prior to this date the Baptists had not dared to meet in Kingsbridge for fear of arrest. Instead they met at remote rural locations such as Tacket Wood Quarry, half a mile south of the town or even on Salt Stone Island in the Kingsbridge Estuary, 3 miles south of the town. The Baptist dead were refused burial in the church yard, and were buried with the farmer's permission in a field at Venn, near Lodiswell, grid reference SX 6946.
Thomas Dunsford (1666 - 1735) was amongst the first to greet William Prince of Orange at Exeter in 1688 at the start of the Glorious Revolution.
The following were at various times, part owners of the Dunsford Bank in Fore Street, Tiverton:- Henry Dunsford (1768 - 1856); Henry Dunsford (1802 - 1858); Captain William Dunsford (1771 - 1849); William Henry Dunsford (1813 - 1892); and Francis Dunsford (1818 - 1886). The first three were also Mayors of Tiverton.
Harris Dunsford (1808 - 1847), surgeon, was called to attend both Queen Adelaide and the King of Prussia. John Dunsford (1807 - 1853) was one of the earliest members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Henry Frederick Dunsford (1817 - 1887) joined the Bengal Army in 1835, and became a General in 1877. He succesfully fought in a number of campaigns and was personally thanked for his services by the Secretary of State for India.
George Lichigaray Dunsford (1843 - 1913) published a 'Pedigree of the family of Dunsford' in 1886. A copy can be seen in the Tiverton Museum. A copy is also held at the Devon and Exeter Institution, Cathedral Close, Exeter.
Frederick Aubrey Dunsford, born 1856 was elected Mayor of Southampton in 1901.
As might be expected in a maritime county like Devon, many Dunsfords became sailors. The collection of Masters and Mates Certificates in the National Maritime Musuem in Greenwich, London show that eight Dunsfords became ship's captains between 1850 and 1927. They include John Dunsford (1790 - 1880) who became a master mariner of high repute. He was held in high regard for his sailing knowledge and gave evidence to the Commissioners for Harbours of Refuge. His evidence is presented in a Parliamentary Paper on Harbours of Refuge, 3 February to 15 April 1859. He comments on the safety and suitability of harbours on the coasts of north Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and South Wales. His preferred harbour is Clovelly Roads - 'one of the best places in the Channel for a harbour of refuge as it is sheltered from winds from the south east all the way round to the north west'. His house, No 2 The Quay, Appledore can still be seen today at the southern end of the Quay. He probably moored his ship some 50 yards from his front door. John Teed Dunsford (1841 - 1899) seems to have experienced a little local difficulty in the Bay of Bengal, where his ship the 'Ann Armitage' sank on 6 March 1885. The cash box and most of the ships papers were stolen and the boats crew were tried at Mauritius but discharged for want of sufficient evidence'. John's luck finally ran out in 1899. The Deaths at Sea Register 1781-1968 records "John Dunsford, master of the Matilda Meadows Vessel sailed from Teignmouth on 9 December 1899 and not seen or heard of. Supposed drowned".
Lastly, no family would be complete without its black sheep. In 1820, Henry Dunsford (1777 - 1842), wine merchant, of Penryn, Cornwall, was sentenced to one year in Bodmin gaol for bribery at the Penryn election, despite a letter from his acquaintance Lord de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall, pleading for leniency. However, Henry's great grandson, Reuben Dunsford (1876 - 1935) went some way to redeeming the reputation of this branch of the family. In 1903 he emigrated to Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.A where he established a very successful business making insulated electrical wiring. Much of his output was sold the Ford Motor Company, making him a very wealthy man.
From Bradninch the distribution of the name has expanded steadily over the centuries to populate much of the English speaking world. Even in the late 18th century the name was still heavily concentrated in East Devon, principally in Tiverton, Bradninch and Exeter. Britain's expansion as a seagoing power in the eighteenth century attracted branches of the family to ports in the West Country, including Bristol, Barnstaple, Saltash, East Budleigh, Exeter, and Plymouth. The growing industrialisation of the nineteenth century drew many Dunsfords to the north of England, especially Manchester and Liverpool, and also to London, and South Wales. Opportunities in the Empire and U.S.A. encouraged emigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of the more adventurous went to Uruguay, Mexico, India and Burma, but I am not aware of any still living in these countries. Today there are about 1200 Dunsfords worldwide, half of them living in the U.K., and the rest in the U.S.A., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The U.K. electoral register for 2003 lists some 450 Dunsfords aged 18 and over. The Australian electoral rolls for 1980, list 45 Dunsfords.
The U.S. census for 1880 lists 85 Dunsfords, of whom 12 state that both their parents were born in the U.S.A. Based on the ages of the people in the 1880 census, I estimate that their parents were born in the U.S.A. between 1780 and 1830. This almost certainly means that some of their ancestors emigrated to America before the War of Independence, and must make them some of the earlier settlers.
This supposition is borne out by earlier U.S.censuses, which suggest a family of Dunsfords was living in Virginia at the end of the 18th century. The 1860 census records a Solomon Dunsford living in Kentucky, but born in Virginia around 1790. The 1850 census records a John Dunsford in Kent County Virginia, born in Virginia in 1792, and a Robert J Dunsford in Richland, South Carolina, born in Virginia in 1802. Finally Rodham Dunsford married Clement Ball at Fauquier, Virginia on September 20 1786. They could be the parents of the 4 boys born in Virginia between 1790 and 1802, but this is by no means certain. If anyone has any information on these Dunsfords, or any early Dunsfords in North America, I would be very interested to hear about it. The early records are incomplete, to say the least, so it will be quite an achievement to put together family trees for this period.
I have obtained all the Dunsford entries in the G.R.O. for births and marriages between 1837 and 1911. Of 50 families of Dunsfords identified on the 1841 census, I have traced 49 back to Bradninch. I have traced almost all the families from the 1911 census back to 1841 and earlier. If you know your ancestry back to 1911, there is a very good chance I have information enabling it to be traced back much further, possibly to the 1500's. A growing number of branches of the family with descendants in the U.K., U.S.A., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have been traced back to the 16th century.
No records of the surname have been found in Devon earlier than the year 1470, despite extensive searching. Recently, records of the surname have been found in the city of York in the 1300s and 1400s. The significance of these discoveries is currently being investigated.
The National Archives hold legal papers concerning cases fought by Dunsfords in the Courts of Exchequer, Chancery, and Star Chamber, going as far back as the sixteenth century. They give a fascinating insight into some aspects of the way of life in those distant times. The fact that a small extended family of Devon farmers had the knowledge and capabilty to bring such actions suggests they were no ordinary farmers.
The Burnet Morris card index in the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter is a treasure trove of references to Devon family and place names.
Despite the Luftwaffe's destruction of most Devon wills in an air raid on Exeter in 1942, a few have survived, mainly via the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and they provide valuable evidence of family relationships, and give some idea of their wealth and status. Further glimpses into otherwise vanished lives are to be found in the British Library's website of old newspapers.
I have amassed a growing database of information on Dunsfords throughout the world, including old family photos. Some of the information is almost impossible to access independently, as it has been given to me by other family history researchers, and has been obtained from family stories handed down the generations, diaries, old family trees, family bibles, and photo albums.
I have carried out a Y DNA test with a fellow Dunsford researcher in the summer of 2018. My records based research showed that we share a common Dunsford ancestor 10 generations back, who was born around 1650. The results showed a match, which confirms that the records based research is correct. If any male Dunsford wishes to carry out a Y DNA test, please contact me. I have set up a project at Family Tree DNA, which enables results to be compared.