The GURNETT Family of Swanbourne (Updated to include the story of Edward Gurnett, December 2023) by Neil Rees The Gurnett Surname Gurnett is an uncommon surname whose origin is not known.  There is also a fish called the gurnet, and there is a place called Gurnet Point near Cape Cod in Massachusetts. In England there is a place […]

Campbell Family History The Campbell tree researched by Linda Rodgers The Campbell Family are usually quite long lived as individuals, and they have been in Swanbourne for a very long time. Jack Campbell’s interview with his son Paul, recorded early in 2013 just before Jack died at the age of 96.  To see the interview, CLICK […]

The Myres Family    By Clive Rodgers An interesting and distinguished family originating from Swanbourne. Rev. William Miles Myres (1838 – 1901) originated from Preston, and in 1867 he married Jane Linton (1842 – 1871) in Headington. She was the daughter of a vicar from Oxford.  Unfortunately, his wife died in 1871 immediately after the birth of their […]

The Price Family Family Tree researched by Linda Rodgers  John Price of (12 Mursley Road) is the only living descendant of the Price family of Swanbourne.  His family tree shows that all his paternal ancestors over the last 300 years have come from within 50 miles of Swanbourne, and originating from North Oxfordshire.  However, all of […]

The Tofield family of Swanbourne By Neil Rees The Tofield Surname Tofield is an unusual surname.  Most of the Tofields in the world can trace their lines back to either the Yorkshire Tofields originally from Doncaster, or the Buckinghamshire Tofields originally from Stewkley.  There is a town near Edmonton in Alberta, Canada called Tofield which […]

The Brooks family  Based on information and photographs provided by Jennifer Littlewood, a descendant of the Brooks family from Swanbourne. The Brooks family came to Swanbourne in 1843 to run the White Hart Public House which stood just past the junction of Tattam’s Lane at Nearton End. The White Hart  is still here in the village, but is […]

The North Family of Swanbourne By Carl Glaum of Milwaukee, USA. As with other branches of the family our research into the North family has turned up many interesting facts and debunked some of our family’s myths.  Two of the bubbles that were broken early on were stories dealing with royalty.  The first was a […]

Includes evidence given to Royal Commission on Old Age Pensions Thomas Pitkin and the Old Age Pension   By Ken Harris On Wednesday 14th February 1894, Thomas Pitkin, a life-long inhabitant of Swanbourne, appeared before the Royal Commission on Old-Age Pensions, being held in the Queen’s Robing Room in the House of Lords, Westminster. He […]

The Adams Family of Swanbourne – Overlords of the Manor, 1624-1775 By Clive Rodgers The surname Adams has been local to the Winslow area and North Bucks since the Middle Ages, and in 1588 Theophilis Adams was granted land to rent in Swanbourne by Sir John Fortescue (the cousin of Queen Elizabeth 1 and Overlord […]

The Alderman Family of Swanbourne By Neil Rees The Alderman surname There are a number of separate Alderman families around England, and it is the kind of surname that could have evolved independently in different places.  It comes from Anglo-Saxon and the use of the word alderman still survives as an honorary position for county […]