Woodroffe History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsWoodroffe is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Yorkshire. Their name, however, derives from the woodrofe plant, a white flower whose leaves bear a sweet scent. The name indicates that the original bearer lived in an area in which the woodrofe was common. 1 Alternatively, the name could have been derived from "Woodreve, the woodman, the forester of the Midland Counties." 1 2 Early Origins of the Woodroffe familyThe surname Woodroffe was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Bolton upon Dearne, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066. "The place became the residence of several families of some consideration, and seems to have been from early times a rich and flourishing spot." 3 The Hundredorum Rolls or 1273 proved the wide use of the name with early spellings throughout ancient England: John Woderove, Oxfordshire; Robert Woderove, Huntingdonshire; and Henry Woderove, Lincolnshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included and entry for Thomas Woderoue. 4 Early History of the Woodroffe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woodroffe research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1554, 1574, 1638, 1646, 1656, 1660, 1669, 1672, 1679, 1685, 1711, 1734, 1766, 1768, 1803, 1807, 1821, 1824, 1830, 1841, 1851, 1852, 1855, 1856 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Woodroffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Woodroffe Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Woodroffe family name include Woodrow, Woderove, Woodrof, Woodrofe, Wodrow, Woodroffe, Woodruff, Woodrufe and many more. Early Notables of the Woodroffe familyNotables of this surname at this time include:
Migration of the Woodroffe family to IrelandSome of the Woodroffe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Woodroffe surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Woodroffe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Woodroffe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Woodroffe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
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