Farrar (surname)


Farrar is a surname. The principal contemporary alternate spellings Farrer, Farra, Ferrar, Pharo occasionally, but not necessarily Farrow, and is an occupational surname for a blacksmith or ironworker - derived from the Latin ferrarius - Middle English Ferror as an occupation, Anglo-Norman ferrur''', and thus shares a common occupational derivation with the most common English surname, Smith. There are records of an Osbert le ferrur and Peter le ferrour previous to the Poll tax of 1377, but in those cases ferrur is not a name, it is an occupation i.e. Thomas the horseshoer
The Subsidy roll of 1379, for the town of Elland, Halifax Parish, Morley Wapentake, West Riding of Yorkshire lists a Johannes de Helistones, fferror & uxor wife, indicating that he was a "ferror"; also in the same subsidy roll is Henricus de Langfeld', ffranklayn, & uxor, which translates into Henry of Langfeld, freeman and wife. By 1350 surnames were taking hold in the south of England, but it wasn't until around 1450 that surnames took hold in the north in the 15th centurysee note on Helistones as place name.
Prior to the poll tax, surnames as such did not exist, the poll tax was a head tax, one which the poor did not have to pay, but to record the head paying the tax they were identified by origin and occupation such as John of Helistones, ferror there was also a Ricardus de Helistones, Carpenter in the same town
Bearers pf the surname belong to various haplogroups including E-M2, I-M233, I-M253,J-M172, R-M269, R-YP5578

Origin and Appearance of the Name

The earliest documented appearance of the surname is the Register of Freemen of York, 1410-1411 with Johannes Ferror a littestar.
Due to varying levels of literacy, and regional dialects the name morphs back and forth from Farrar, Pharo, Farra, Ferrar, Farrer, Ferrers, and Farrow, the name itself did not change, but the spelling of it depended upon the Scrivener
The surname is found, in England, originally in those areas in which there were deposits of iron and thus an iron producing industry.
As an example of how the spelling can change over time there is the following:
Henry Ferror is listed in Halifax Wills being Abstracts and Translations 1545-1559 His son William Ferror's will His grandson John FerrarFarrer's will snd his great grandson William Farrar
Another variant: Will of Henry Fareher of Halifax 1542
Lord Farrer of Abinger, in his "Farrer Wills and Administrations, lists many related and unrelated Farrars, with a variety of spellings who left Wills.https://archive.org/details/farrerandsomevar00farr/page/52

Armorial Bearings

There is an apparent symbiotic relationship between the surname and armorial bearings issued to various houses of Farrar/Farrer/Ferrar, all of which have, on a bend, three horeseshoes and some have a horseshoe on the crest. Such as Fairer of Warcorp Tower, Westmoreland And pedigrees recorded in the Visitation of Surrey and Visitation of Hertford. The arms of Nicholas Ferrar
FERRAR of Westwood Place in Worplesdon.Arms: Argent on a bend engrailed Sable three horse-shoes of the first, a crescent for difference.Crest: A horse-shoe Argent between two wings displayed Or.As borne by Henry Farrer of Westwood and his brother John Farrer of Brierly, Yorkshire, sons of John Farrer of Croxton, Lincolnshire, 2ndson of William Farrer of Ewood Hall, Yorkshire WestRiding.
FARRER Bryan Farrer, JP, of Binnegar Hall, Dorset,, grandson of James William Farrer of Ingleborough, Yorkshire, Senior Master in Chancery,, had issue Captain John Oliver Farrer, MC,, father of William Oliver Farrer, MA, of Highlands, Fernhurst, Haslemere, solicitor, ; and Sir Walter Leslie Farrer, KCVD, BA, of Charlwood Place Farm, Horsley, solicitor,. The said James William Farrer had a 2ndson the Rev. Matthew Thomas Farrer, MA, of Ingleborough, Arms: Quarterley, 1 and 4, Argent on a bend engrailed Sable three horseshoes of the field ; 2 and 3, Or gutté-de-sang a bend Gules .Crest: A horseshoe between two wings erect Proper.Motto: Ferre va ferme.
And
FARRER Thomas Farrer, 1st Baron Farrer., of Abinger Hall, Dorking,, was created Baron Farrer of Abinger, 1893. The title became extinct on the death of Oliver Farrer, 4th Baron Farrer in 1954 .Arms: Argent on a bend engrailed Sable four horse shoes of the field.Crest: A Quatrefoil with a horse shoe between two wings all Argent.Supporters: On either side a horse reguardant Argent gorged with a riband pendant therefrom an escutcheon both Sable charged with two horseshoes palewise Argent.Motto: Ferre va ferme.
In as much as the surname is occupational in origin, bearing the surname is not proof or indication of a genetic relationship, indeed at least four separate DNA haplogroups have been identified with this surname

Notable Farrars

Helistones is a place name in the manor of Wakefield, West Riding Yorkshire, thus a name listed in the 1379 subsidy roll for Morley Wapentake, Halifax Parish as Johannes de Helistones and Ricardus de Helistones, Carpenter, Helistones is not a surname but indicates his place of origin. It is possible that their descendants adopted the name Helistones, Ferror, Carpenter or some other appelation depending on their occupation or location at the time