Notes for a Sandford one name study       Go to home pageSandfordfamily Home Page

My family is from Westmorland in C12 (Sandford near Warcop, then Askham. My branch went to Yorkshire (Thorpe Salvayn/Salvin) then near to Manchester (Nuthurst then High Ash or High Ashes in Audenshaw, Ashton under Lyne) and from there in 1650 went to Ireland (Castlerea, Co. Roscommon and later to Tuam, Co. Galway)

List of other Sandford Families and notes of any contacts I have had about them.

(Not related to mine or to each other - at least as far as we know they have different origins.)

1. Arthur Sandford of Stowe and descendants first in Bristol and then many in Kent with a branch in Essex.

Sept 2012: John Curran of Australia contacted me about his ancestor: Robert Sandford who was a Bristol Burgess and merchant  in the C16 and whose father was Arthur Sandford of Stowe c.1550. He reports that Anne Stubbington has investigated the descendants of these Sandfords.

2. The Sandfords of Shropshire

This family has many medieval historical records all originating from a Norman family in Shropshire (associated with Sandford Hall at Prees near Whitchurch, the nearby Calverhall, and The Isle of Up Rossall). This Shropshire family has produced many eminent people. Of the 15 Sandford entries in ODNB, 9 are from this family. In May 2013 I made contact with Dr Richard N Sandford of Cambridge, who confirmed he is from this family. My y-DNA Haplogroup is quite different to Richard's, therefore the Sandfords of Shropshire do not share a common male line ancestor with my Sandfords of Westmorland for many tens of thousands of years. This is despite the Isle of Rossal branch being recorded with identical Arms to the Westmorland Sandfords as noted by WAC Sandford-Thompson.

3. Sandfords of Essex and Kilkenny, Ireland

Notes to follow. I am not in touch with this family

4. Sandfords of Devon

I am aware of many Sandfords in Devon including a cluster in the last two centuries at Woodbury. I know little about their origins, apart from the descendancy of Mark Stephen Sandford which I found on his webpage. I am not in touch with this family.

5. Sanfords of Brook Sanford then Nynehead Court Somerset (note no d)

This family came from Brook Sanford on Exmoor C13 and moved to Nynehead Court in 1590. A few years ago I met Henry Sanford who knows all about this family. Henry has a website

6. Sandfords of Middlesex (& possibly from Lambourne Berks c1740) I had the following email from Claire Fraser on 4 Jan 2013:

I stumbled upon your site whilst doing some research on my family and wonder if you have any information on the Sandfords in my direct line in your stores. The furthest I have found so far is Ann Elizabeth Sandford (nee Walter) born about 1780, who was married to Edmund Sandford who was born around 1773. I don't know where each of them were born, but I know that they were married on 25 Feb 1800 in Middlesex. Their children are: Charles Thomas Sandford b. 1817 and baptised at St George, Hanover Square; Harriet Sandford b. 1809. Died 1890 (married a Powell) Sophia Matilda Sandford 1808 (presumed to have died in or before 1821) Sarah Sophia Sandford b. 1819 at St George, Hanover Square. She married an Anley and was my great great grandmother. I am hoping to find out more about Edmund Sandford. Do you have anything that could help? I have found a book of Sandfords online, which mentions an Edmund but not conclusively enough for me at this point (the dates mentioned are not viable to fit Edmund - but maybe I am missing something).

I replied with the following link http://www.terrys.org.uk/charts/s/sandfo601.htm

7. Sanfords of Stanstead Mountfitchet in Essex.

The descedants of Richard Sanford(d 1591) include a grandchild, Thomas Sanford (1607/8- 1681) who settled in America between 1632 & 1634. He died in Milford Conneticut, founding a parge family whose many descendants were tracked by Carlton E Sandford in a book published in 1910 Vol 1 & Vol 2.

Chris Sandford has a website where he demonstrates that Richard Sandford (d 1591) is NOT of the Shropshire family as has been assumed by some.

8. Descendants of John Sandford governor of Portsmouth RI

The John Sandford who settled in Boston around 1631 may be linked to the Sanford family from Colchester, who appears in the Visitations of Essex 1612 & 1634

9. Descendants of Edward Jeremy Sandifort born about 1575 in England and died 1652/53 in Ouddorp, Holland

In June 2013, I received an email from Lawrence Santeford of the USA, who is descended from Edward Jeremy Sandifort. Lawrence's research indicates that his Edward Jeremy Sandifort was the sone of the Jeremiah Sandford and grandson of the John Sandford that appear in Dugdales 1664 Visitation of Lancashire. I believe I descend from this same John (see here). Y-DNA testing is presently underway to try and confirm the common ancestry. Update 12 July 2013 - Lawrence has got the result from his 12 STR marker y-DNA test. We do not match at all. Lawrence is likely R1b1a2 halotype ( not haplogroup L38/39 like me) and matches with a C17 Sandeford from Devon. So one of us does not share the Sandford's in Dugdale's 1664 Visitation of Lancashire as our male line ancestors.

10. Sandfords of Holmfirth and vicinity, West Yorkshire c1772

In July 2013, I received an email from Peter Sandford who traces his Sandford line back to William Sand(i)ford who was born about 1746 and in 1772 was living in Stagwood Hill, near Holmfirth. Peter has already had his Y-dna tested, and we do not match - so any common male line ancestor is way back in the stone age. Peter's Y-dna matches Sundyfords from Radcliffe, Lancs