This was originally a locational name from various places in France, and was brought into England in the wake of the Norman Invasion of 1066. Habitation names are derived from names denoting towns, villages, farmsteads or other named places, which include rivers, houses with signs on them, regions, or whole counties. The original bearer of the name who stayed in his area might be known by the name of his farm, or the locality in the parish; someone who moved to another town might be known by the name of his village; while someone who moved to another county could aquire the name of that county or the region from which he originated. A powerful English family of this name originated with the illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, and Catherine Swinford, who were legitimized by Act of Parliament. Their name was derived from their father's castle Beaufort in Champagne, Normandy. Their eldest son, Henry (1327-1447) became a cardinal and was very influential as a stateman in the reign of Edward V. His brother, Thomas, who died in 1427, became Duke of Exeter, and a third brother, John, who died in 1407, became the Earl of Somerset. The latter's granddaugher, Margaret, married Edmund Tudor, half brother of Henry IV. and was mother of Henry VIII She was a great patroness, endowing Christ's and St. John's Colleges at Cambridge. Other instances of the name include Ralph de Bellafago, 1086, County Suffolk, and Nicholas de Bealfo appears in Hertfordshire in the year 1114. Ralph de Beaufow was recorded in County Lincolnshire, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) and Thomas de Beaufou of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Hercules Beaufoy and Mary Rust, were married at Westminster, London in the year 1675. The associated coat of arms is recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. (Beaufoy). |
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