Origins
BUTTERFIELD ORIGINS
The name Butterfield has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from when the Butterfield family lived in Butterfield, a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire now lost to the modern map. The surname was also familiar in Lancashire, where it is still quite common today .
Spelling variations include: Butterfield, Buttersfield, Botterfield, Boutterfield and many more.
First found in Berkshire where they held a family seat from very early times.
The common spelling of the name in New England is Butterfield, and the same prevails usually throughout Australia and the United States: though instances are found of Botefield, of the direct German extraction: and, occasionally, of Boterville, the French form. In England, the family date their arrival from Narmandy (France) in the twelfth century. Butterfields almost certainly came over with the Norman invasion of 1066. Robert de Buteville held two fees in Bedfordshire in 1165 and likewise in Norfold (Liber Niger). John de Buteville was possessed of the lord of Cheddington, in Bucks, in 1316 (Palsgrave, Parl, Writs). The name Botevyle occurs in the Battle Abbey roll. The estate of Bouteville was near Carentum, in Normandy, a town at the mouth of the river Tante, where are yet to be seen old fortifications, a castle and a curious Norman church (The Norman People). A branch of the family settled at Church, Stretton, Shropshire. The English pronunciation indicates a corruption of the German word Botefeld (Bote, a messenger, and feld, field, or clearing where the trees have been felled). The place-name could have referred to a meadow particularly suited to dairy cows resulting in exceptional production of milk, cream, and butter.
Similar instances occur in Butterley, Buttermere, Butterwick, Butterworth in England, and perhaps Buterville in Ireland: the affix in each case denoting locality-ley meadow, mere pond, wick bay, worth enclosure-where the messenger dwelt. Or, the derivation may be from botfeld, which, among the Anglo-Saxons, was that portion of the manor, the timber of which was reserved for the repairs of the manor house, buildings, &c., and the mending of the fences. Such privileges were styled Haybote (from hait, hedge, or the land enclosed by it, and bote, repair). The official charge with such repairs was styled the Hayward, whence the modern word: as also Heyward and Howard. Our word botcher, for a blundering repairer, is a survival of this same bote in common speech. [1]
In England
BUTTERFIELDS have lived in the area surrounding the town of Keighley, West Yorkshire, for many centuries. There is mention of a Wm. de Boyville of Sutton-in-Ayredale (now Sutton-in-Craven), at an Inquisition in 1304. Adam de Butterfeld of Newton in Bowland and Robert de Butterfeld of Slaytburn (Slaidburn), were both paying the Poll Tax in 1379. In 1397 Robertus de Butterfeld is paying Poll Tax in Slaytburn and in nearby Hammerton, Willelmus de Butterfeld and Johannes de Butterfeld were also paying Poll Tax. It is in this area, the Ribble Valley, some thirty miles from Keighley, that the Butterfields were said to have originally prospered. The area around Slaidburn was originally in Yorkshire but, since boundary changes in 1974, has become part of Lancashire.
Butterfields from Keighley, were part of the 47 man Craven contingent which fought at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513. (John Butterfield, Bill and William Butterfield, Bow).
Although not generally a common name, in 1846 Butterfield was the fifth most common surname in the Keighley area with 50 families bearing the name. In the 1891 census for Bingley, the next town to Keighley, there are over 100 Butterfields listed (55 males). What has not helped in tracing ancestors is the number of John Butterfields appearing throughout the records. Also the habit of children being named after the brothers and sisters of the father. This results in Christian names being repeated in a short time span.
One line of the Butterfield family became successful mill owners and businessmen, accumulating great wealth and living at Cliffe Castle, in Keighley. Henry Isaac Butterfield built the "castle" on the site of a previous property, lavishly furnishing the interior. He spent most of his time in America and France, and it was his son Sir Frederick who was to make it his permanent home. The story of this branch of the Butterfield family is fascinating. The growth of the Industrial Revolution in Britain enabled them, through hard work and enterprise, to become one of the wealthiest families in the Keighley area. [2]
Suggested Readings for the name butterfield
"Alice Butterfield of Johnson County, Missouri, 1871-1936" by Veda Goodnight Jones, "The Butterfield Family of Standish, Brownfield, and Hiram, Maine" by Hubert W. Clemons.
Some noteworthy people of the name butterfield
Herbert butterfield (1900-1979) English historian
William butterfield (1814-1900) English architect
THE BUTTERFIELD COAT Of ARMS
The coat of arms of the Butterfield family is described as:
Arms: Gules, a griffin passant argent.
Crest: Out of a ducal coronet, or a dragon's head, wings elevated vert.
It should be noted that crests and coats of arms were granted to an individual not a family. Nevertheless, it was not unusual for crests to pass down through families with variations to main components being maintained. Unlike many family crests that have ended up with multiple designs, the griffin image appears to have endured wherever Butterfield crests are found.
References
[1] From "The Butterfields of Middlesex", written by Geo. A Gordon, A. M. Member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in (1890).
[2] Notes from “Butterfield Family Tree A brief description of our family tree” By Shipley - West Yorkshire url
http://www.lb014d6950.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
History Index Page image courtesy of Free Coats of Arms. http://www/freecoatsofarms.com