I've been researching my 'Jeffrey' ancestors, and have traced them back to the 1650s in Polwarth. I'm very interested in the origin of the Jeffreys, and have come up with the following from various sources:
“There is a tradition in the family that the Jeffreys came from France with William the Conqueror, and settled in Great Britain. I understand there are old records in Swinton House showing that Jeffreys, as blacksmiths, have been in Riselaw or in the district for fully 600 years.”
“A Constant Reader,” The Berwick Journal, 19 January 1888
“Berwickshire is full of Jeffreys – we are told the name stems from the Norman Geoffre.”
Violet James
London, England 1985
“Most of the Jeffreys were blacksmiths, and they had practically a monopoly on blacksmithing in the southeast fringe of Scotland. There is a tale that they were JAFFRAYs, French armourers. It would certainly seem that all of them were somehow related.”
Harriet D. Jeffrey, Yarker, Ontario, Canada 1990
Does anyone have any information or comments about these possible origins? Especially since I've I recently read in "Duns - Burgh on the Merse," by James Denham (2016):
"In the 17th century, the population [of Polwarth] was increased when a number of Walloon and French Huguenots arrived in the parish fleeing persecution in their own countries. They too had embraced the teaching of John Calvin and, like the Scots, they too denounced Roman Catholic ways. They brought with them at least one new industry, tanning, which became an important source of work to the local people which blended in well with the established local shoe making industry."
Thanks for any thoughts!