Scurfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The family name Scurfield appears to be of Old Norse, or Viking origin. “Scur” in Old English is “shower” as in rain. In Old Norse “skur” also carries the meaning shower, as in shower of rain, or a shower of arrows. The most likely origin of the surname Scurfield, therefore, is the name of an ancient field of battle.

The name Scurfield is unique and every Scurfield in the world should be able to trace the origin of their name to the County of Durham in north east England[1]. It is not true that the surname Scurfield has evolved from the more common names of Scarfield, Scorefield, Schofield, or Scourfield. While it is still not certain from exactly where or when the name began, it is certain that if there has been any name transference, it has been the loss of the less common spelling of “Scurfield” towards the more common names of Scorefield or Scourfield. This is one of the reasons why the name Scurfield has remained unusual and scarce in the world.

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[edit] Family history

There are two, Scurfield family lines - both originating from the same region in north east England. There remains the possibility that the two lines are connected, but no direct evidence of this has yet been established.

The oldest Scurfield name referenced belonged to Foulke Scurfield[2], who was allegedly born in the 1300s. There is a lineage for him, however that lineage ends in the 1500’s and any connection to a continuing line of Scurfields is, at this point, pure speculation. The Golden Grove book of pedigrees, which is generally considered very reputable, references a Sir John Scurfield (a descendant of Foulke), of Kendal in Westmoreland. He allegedly married Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Greene (1369-1417) and his wife Mary Talbot. The Talbots and Greenes are well-established families[3], but nothing further can be found on the alleged daughter Mary Greene, nor any other reference to a Scurfield connection to the Greene family.

The earliest Scurfield with traced and living descendants is George Scurfield who, in 1580, owned and occupied, Sheraton Grange Farm[4] in the parish of Monk Hesledon. Through ownership of land, this family was “immensely wealthy” and well respected. The property was passed down through six generations of Scurfields, until William Scurfield (born 1755, Coatham, Durham), departed the world in 1790 with only one daughter. In 1831, his daughter Joanna passed the property to her eldest son, George John Grey (born 1810). Before accepting the gift, George took the name George John Grey Scurfield[1] by royal licence. Unfortunately, none of George’s children had issue and, as a result, the property was passed down to nephews who had no interest in the property further than the money it could be sold for. Without the property to retain and generate wealth, the family money was dissipated. Even so, members of this line of Scurfield is often found to be associated with the arts, and several of George Scurfield's living descendants earn their living working as musicians, actors, and authors, such as actor Matthew Scurfield, son of the late author George Scurfield.

The other Scurfield family line are descendants of the English working class. The earliest known patriarch of this line has the name of Simon Scurfield[5], who was born 1644 in Washington, Co. Durham. Nothing is known of where Simon Scurfield came from or what his occupation was, however his grandson Simon, born 1722 Washington, Co. Durham, was a Captain of the trades at the South Shore port. The County of Durham is rich in coal and the Scurfields who did not have property and wealth worked the coal mines. In the later half of the 18th century the mines started to close. By the time the Haswell Colliery was finally closed in 1896[6], most of the residents of the area had already moved to find employment elsewhere. The descendants of the few Scurfields who decided to seek opportunity in North America have often enjoyed unusual success in business and professional practices; such as Ralph Thomas Scurfield, and his first cousin Justice John Scurfield, Q.C., to name but two.

[edit] Early settlers to the United States of America

While there may have been earlier Scurfields who came to America, the first to have moved and settled appears to have been Thomas Scurfield, who was born 1832 in Easington Lane, Co. Durham. In 1854 Thomas married Mary Harding. They obviously had a difficult life as five of their eight children died in England. In 1866 he gambled for a better life and emigrated with his wife and their three living children to the USA, where they settled in the Monongahela, Pennsylvania area. Many of the American Scurfield’s will trace their roots back to one of his two sons, Thomas Scurfield (born 1857) and John D Scurfield (born 1859).

Another early settler to the United States was James Hunter Scurfield (born 1851, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland) who came to America from England through the New York Harbour. It has not been confirmed yet if he was of the gentry’s line or of Simon’s line; however he came from a family of coal miners so it is assumed that he is of Simon’s line. He arrived in the USA on September 6, 1879, and took up residence in Somerset, Pennsylvania. His first wife died at age 28 after 8 children. He remarried and had one adopted son, John Smith Scurfield (born 1902, Somerset County, Pennsylvania). The line of James Hunter continues to prosper throughout the USA.

[edit] Early settlers to Canada

The first settlers in Canada were two brothers, Ralph Davison Scurfield (born 1871, Haswell, Co. Durham) and Thomas John Scurfield (born 1872, Haswell, Co. Durham). After the local coal mine in Haswell was closed, the brother’s took the opportunity to travel to the open land of Manitoba, Canada. Ralph first travelled to Canada in 1887, and eventually both brothers settled in Manitou, Manitoba where together they built a house. An interesting thing about these two brothers is that they married two sisters (Margaret and Sarah Ann Milburn) who were also from Haswell. By 1896 the two young couples were both starting to raise their young families in Manitou. Ralph had two daughters, Violet and Ruby, and Thomas had 10 surviving children, including five sons. The line of Ralph Davison Scurfield continues to prosper, and it is from this line that most every Scurfield in western Canada originates.

[edit] Early settlers to Australia

The earliest Scurfield settler to Australia appears to be William Dixon Scurfield (born 1811, Alnwick, Northumberland) who, in 1852, arrived in Melbourne, Australia with his wife, Catherine Hetherington Barwise, and children. His eldest son, John Barwise Scurfield (born 1844, Liverpool, Lancashire) married an English born woman named Charlotte Fox in 1866 in Melbourne. They had 12 children, nine of whom raised families in Australia.

[edit] Notable Scurfields

  • Gordon Scurfield (1924 - 1996): English biologist and author, with expertise in botany and ecology, who published over 50 papers in journals serving fields as diverse as chemistry, haematology and mineralogy.
  • Matt Scurfield (1976 - ): American rock drummer who has recorded with the likes of Joe Stump, Jaye Foucher, and Gary Hoey.
  • Ralph D. Scurfield (1956 - ): CEO, President, and majority shareholder of Sunshine Village Corporation.
  • Ralph Thomas Scurfield (1928 - 1985): Legendary Canadian businessman, President and CEO of Nu-West Group Inc. and former co-owner of the Calgary Flames from 1980 to 1985.
  • Sergei S. Scurfield (1962 - ): Canadian businessman and lawyer. Director and co-owner of Sunshine Village Corporation.
  • Sonia Scurfield (1928 - ): co-owner of the Calgary Flames from 1985 - 1994. First Canadian woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

[edit] Genealogical reference

  • Scurfields Group on Facebook: Discussion Board