Our Ancestral Heritage & Heraldic Story

The Farr’s Story

We have started to trace the origin of the Farr family on my father’s side.  It is a long and slow process gathering all the information and checking the data to ensure it’s authenticity.

We will update this part of our site as we go or when we have enough information to add.

So far we have ascertained the make up of the heraldic crest, shield and coat of arms as displayed.

Heraldic Crest: A man’s sleeve on the point of a sword.
Coat Of Arms: On a red shield a gold cross between four gold fleur-de-lis.

Spelling variations of this family name include: Farr, Farre and others. First found in Yorkshire where they were seated from early times. The wanderlust took hold in the late 1500’s early 1600’s with an eye on the Americas.  Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Barnabas Farr who settled in New England in 1620; Edward Farr settled in St. Christopher in 1635; Elias Farr settled in West New Jersey in 1664; Mary Farr settled in Virginia in 1650.

In our story so far we have researched back to 1810.

Robert Farr born 1810 in Marle Cleeve or Marlecliffe as its known today, a small hamlet just outside Bideford on Avon, Robert spent his early years there and grew up to be an ostler (an important position in the days of the horse) he married at 21 in 1831 to Charlotte Rudge in Alvechurch Stratford, now in the county of Worcestershire,(she came from Healey Staffordshire).  The family moved to live at 23 Priory Street  in Alcester, the census shows them staying in the Alcester area up to 1871, by then most of the family had moved on. She gave Robert eight children, Thomas the first born 1836 died 1837 followed by Mary in 1838 she died 1839 then came Fanny in 1841, William 1843, Charles 1846, Robert jnr. 1848, Thomas in 1850 on the 23 April and Joseph in 1853.

William Farr born 1843 in Alcester, he grew up and was married to Harriet Krinks  who came from Congleton Cheshire. They moved down to the City of London, 84 St. Johns Street where William became a City police officer and they started a family. Harriet  had nine children Alice (the eldest) born 1870, Frank 1870, Elyne 1873, William 1874, Lesley 1876, Lillian Mary 1878, Cyril 1880, Ella 1882 and Douglas born 1884.

Frank Robert Farr born 29th Sept 1870 in Wanstead grew up and moved to St. Margrets Isleworth Paddington as a woollen traveller and married Matilda Cumins born 1864, she lived for 73 years dying in 1937. She gave him four children Lesley, Howard, Lawrence and Gwendolyn all born in West ham.

The picture right of Frank relaxing in the garden, always a gentleman and always well turned out.


Lawrence William Farr born 1900 in Westham he married Lilian Daphne Boyd in July 1925 at St. Gabriels Church Aldersbrook, in the district of Bethnal Green from his then home at 11 Mornington Villas he was a traveller in ladies undergarments they moved to the South West settling in Paignton where they setup shop. In 1945 they seperated Daphanie went back to London and Lawrence met my mother Josephine and they setup home together. He was my father and died 1951 in Paignton Devon from an enlarged heart, leaving my mother Josephine Mary Spurway  (nee Watson, see the Mulcaster and Spurway trees) with two children myself Nicholas and my sister Marilyn.

Pictured right Lawrie taking in the air and  like his father before him, a well turned out gentleman.

Nicholas Farr I was born in 1946 in Paignton S Devon served in the Royal Navy for 10 years married Patricia Muriel (nee Skedgel, see Skedgel tree) in 1969 we have two children and four grandchildren, Hannah, Adam, Isabella and Sofia.