Old Surname Spellings

From my database the first recorded instance of the surname Farmery is 1545-7 in London and 1551 in Lincolnshire. I have a number of earlier events but for spelling variants, the earliest being from 1186-1199. Listed below are the various different spellings found in these early times:

1186-1199: Jordan de Infirmaria witnessed a grant of maintenance from Reading Abbey [Reading Abbey Cartulary]

1205?: William Framery (Framerii) [manuscript relating to Earl of Leicester]

1200-1215: Roger de Infirmaria witnessed sale to the prior and convent of St Gregory, Canterbury [Ancient Canterbury Deeds]

1220-1230: gift of a messuage in Reading to Ralph de Infirmario for his homage and service [Reading Abbey Cartulary]

1216-1244: Robert de Fermeria witnessed sale of land at Croxton, Leicestershire [Charters and Muniments at Berkeley Castle]

1240-1250: Grant of land from Roger de Infirmitorio, of Croxton, Leicestershire [Charters and Muniments at Berkeley Castle]

1251/2?: Inquisition regarding Carlisle Forest - John de Furmerie [Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society]

1240-1256: Thomas de ffermeria witnessed grant of land [Cockersand Abbey Cartulary]

1274/5: arraignment against James de la Fermerie [Patent Rolls, Waltham, Essex]

1274/5: arraignment by John de Furmerys [Patent Rolls, Tallentire, Cumberland]

1275/6: arraignment against Roger de la Fermerie [Patent Rolls, Hill, Gloucestershire]

1278/9: arraignment by Simon de la Fermerye [Patent Rolls, Stanford, Bedfordshire]

1287: brother R[obert] de Furmerey, Canon of Giseburne, licensed to transfer to a stricter order [Gyseburne Priory Cartulary]

1293: Lettice de Firmaria [Chester Pleas Rolls]

1298: indebtedness of King to Alan de la Fermerye of Spalding: 12l 16s 8d for 2 sacks 24 stone [Patent Rolls]

1313: counsel of Richard del Fermorie of Werk [Inquisition Post Mortem, Morpeth, Northumberland]

1326: death of Simon de la Fermorie, skinner [Coroners Rolls, Walbrooke St Stephen, Middlesex]

1377: Robert Firmarie, pouchmaker [Calendar of Letter-books, London]

1535: William Furmarie of Egmanton [PCY will]

1545-7: William Farmery alais Baynton [Enrolments of Leases and Pensions, London]

1551: John Farmery of Northorpe [PCC will]

Today Farmery is the main surname spelling found, with a small number of families using Farmerey and Farmeary (pronounced "farmery"). Another variant I have recently come across is Farmere (pronounced "farm-year") on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

The Monastic or Religous Infirmary

The believed origin of the Farmery surname relates to someone "who lived by or worked in the infirmary".

I recently acquired a copy of "Portrait of Canterbury Cathedral" which includes the above plan:
8 - the farmery cloister
11 - farmery hall
13 - Chapel of the farmery
14 - chancel

"In common with other religious houses, Christ Church had a farmery or infirmary where the sick, the infirm, and the aged bretheren were tended. The chief appartment was the great hall, consisting of a central area with an aisle on either side, in this respect resembling a small church. The aisles were subdivided by screens into a number of small chambers for the sick monks and the nave was their common room. In alignment with the hall at the east end was the farmery chapel. Separating the farmery from the main cloister is the "little cloister"."

Passengers and Manure!

I have had a further email from Pauline Wheeler who discovered that the Barclay sank in 1886 at Dundrum, county Down.

Irish Wrecks Online details that the 90 ton Goole registered schooner Barclay was wrecked on Smith's Rock bound from London to Ayr carrying passengers and manure. There are no details of the passengers, captain or crew.

The wreck was reported in Down Recorder March 6th 1886:

27 Feb 1886; Barclay of Goole; a schooner of 90 tons; London to Ayr with manure,; in SE f7gale; stranded near Smith's Rock, Dundrum Bay; crew and two passengers saved; O/N No 44562; built 1863 at Montrose.

Shipping Intelligence

"Jane Knox" Reuben Chappell
Reuben Chappell often painted ships in "pairs", with a "fair-weather" version - showing a vessel underway in a calm sea under sunny skies, and a "foul-weather" portrait with the vessel gamely battling through high winds and stormy seas. This is a "foul-weather" portrait of the Jane Knox of Goole, painted for her Master, Captain W Farmer (sic).

Pauline Wheeler of Grantham found this postcard, with the above text on the reverse, at Goole Museum. The name of the Master was actually W Farmery! The original painting (lot 247) sold for £552 at Bonhams in 2008.

Further details of the fairweather portrait can be found on the

Goole Museum website.

Pauline is a descendant of the Farmery family of Fishlake and Thorne who had many associations with the sea. Her gt grandmother Mary Ann (wife of Walter Charles LEIGHTON) was the daughter of William and Hannah (CRUST) FARMERY.

William FARMERY bp 1766 Fishlake d 1821 Thorne Quay married Hannah SAVAGE in 1790 at Thorne. Their 7th child William FARMERY bp 1804 Thorne died 1865 Doyle Street, Goole married Ann (Hannah) CORBRIDGE or COLBRIDGE in 1824 at Thorne. Their 4th child William FARMERY bp 1832 Thorne d 1912 Goole married Hannah CRUST in 1854 at Althorpe, Lincolnshire. Their 1st child John William or William John FARMERY b Keadby bp 1865 Amcotts married Elizabeth LE COMPTE in 1883 at Newcastle upon Tyne.

Christie's Register of Shipping and Maritime Compendium dated July 1st 1858 lists three ships registered at the Port of Goole with the registered owner William FARMERY (or FARMORY) of Goole:
- "Sheaf" sloop built Thorne 1840
- "Eliza" sloop built Aggbrigg 1847
- "William and Hannah" sloop built Gainsbro' 1858

The Register of Shipping lists the brig "Apollo" at Dublin in 1799 and 1804 with master FORMERY. Could this be the William FARMERY who married Hannah SAVAGE?

"Shipping Intelligence" was often printed regularly in local papers and there are a number of ships with the Master listed as "FARMERY":

- "Mary" sailed between Lowestoft and London in 1843 and 1850.
- "Robert" a coaster sailed between Goole and London in 1846, 1849, 1850 and 1851.
- "Sheaf" put into Lowestoft windbound in 1852; it arrived at Hull from Antwerp in 1852 and at London from Antwerp in 1858.
- "William and Hannah" a ketch of Gainsborough arrived at London from Caen in 1859 and at Stockton from Middlesbrough in 1870. It was at anchor in Bridlington Bay in 1870 en route from Ipswich to Dundee and in March 1871, enroute from Gainsborough to Southampton, put into Harwich due to heavy gales. Later at the end of November 1871, under the command of William Farmery enroute from Southampton to Dundee loaded with bark, it broke up on Bondicar Rocks in a gale.
- "Royal Standard" a collier arrived at Gravesend in 1870.
- "Veracity" arrived at Goole from London in 1878 carrying wheat.
- "Barclay" is listed 7 times between 1870 and 1894 sailing between ports including Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hull, London, Southampton, Hartlepool and Granton. In 1880 it arrived from Dunkirk, in 1882 it was at Hartlepool with a cargo of 150 tons of coal, again in 1882 it carried china clay from Pentween to Leith, and in 1884 it carried coal to Cherbourg.
- "Hero" left Dysart for Otterham in 1896 carrying coal.
- "Jane Knox" left Dysart for London in 1898 carrying coal, left Goole for Sunderland in 1900 and arrived in Goole from London in 1900.

Being mariners the men are often away from home on census night and not enumerated unless their ship is moored in a home port.

In 1861 the sloop "William and Hannah" was coasting off Scarborough, master William FARMERY with his wife and 3 year old son on board!

In 1881 "Barclay" was moored at Kingston upon Hull; the master was William FARMERY born 1832 Thorne and the mate (his son) John William FARMERY born Keadby 1856. Also on board was William's wife Hannah and their 7 other children, ranging in age from 18 to 8 month old son Thomas!

In 1911 William FARMERY, retired mariner, and wife Hannah were at 131 Jackson Street, Goole and John William FARMERY, steamship officer, and wife Lizzie were at 9 Fifth Avenue, Goole. In 1901 Hannah FARMERY wife was head of household at 131 Jackson Street and Lizzie FARMERY wife head of household at 11 Fifth Avenue. It is not certain who the W FARMERY master of the "Jane Knox" was but it is likely that it was William FARMERY 1832 although it could have been his son John William (William John).

Farmery Archive Now On-Line

I am now making Farmery records available on-line on the Guild of One-Studies website. To access these records you will need to register with the archive. Up to now the archive has been "closed" but the facility/requirement to register means access can be opened up and, as time permits, I will be uploading more records. If you can't yet find records you seek please email me direct.

National Burial Index

The 3rd edition of the National Burial Index was launched by the Federation of Family History Societies at Who Do You Think You Are Live! at Olympia on February 26th 2010.

This latest edition has over 18 million burials from the 16th to 21st centuries (an increase of 5 million on the 2nd edition) including 830 with a Farmery surname or forename, an increase of 167 from the previous edition.

There are a total of 2.3 million burials for the West Riding of Yorkshire, 819,000 for Lincolnshire and 281,000 for Nottinghamshire

Another 100% DNA Match!

We have recently received back another 37 marker DNA test result and this likely confirms that George Farmery (who married firstly Anne Puttergill June 12th 1816 and secondly Sarah Handson January 4th 1827, both marriages being at Faldingworth) was the son of John and Elizabeth (nee Bell) Farmery who married at Walesby May 15th 1775. From the census returns George says he was born at Walesby ~ 1790, though no baptism has been found (a similar situation to Robert Farmery of Binbrook who says he was born at Walesby ~ 1787 but again with no baptism found). Descendants of George of Faldingworth and Robert of Binbrook have identical DNA which also matches with a "cousin" of mine with Farmery ancestry through Searby back to Walesby