This is a locational name of rather rare and unusual development. The origination is from the village of Keveresforth (now called Keresforth) near Barnsley in the former West Riding of Yorkshire. This village was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as "Crevesford", the translation being "the Ford of Cenred", the latter being an Anglo-Saxon personal name. The original surname recording is as shown below. Examples of the surname include in 1583 John Kir Foote of Cheshire, whilst in 1661 John Kerford is found in the Exchequer dispositions of Wrexham. In 1742 the name spelt as "Kearford" appears in London, James Kearford being a witness at the church of St. Mary, Whitechapel on December 12th of that year. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richardus de Kerfforth, which was dated 1379, the Poll Tax Rolls of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11, "Richard of Bordeaux", 1377 - 1399. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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