Farndale pioneers

Migrants prepare to board the Bourneuf at Liverpool Emigration depot in 1852 Bill Kinsey’s threshing set in about 1900 in Alberta, Canada

To boldly go …

Home Page Return to the Home Page of the Farndale Family Website

The Farndale Story The story of one family’s journey through two thousand years of British History

The Farndale Lineages The 83 family lines into which the family is divided. Meet the whole family and how the wider family is related

The Farndale Directory Members of the historical family ordered by date of birth

Themes Links to other pages with historical research and related material

Related Family Stories The story of the Bakers of Highfields, the Chapmans, and other related families

Whilst it is perhaps misleading to over-categorise a family of the size of the Farndales, it is possible to identify trends and a broad summary might define the Farndales as farmers, pioneers and soldiers.

This web page tells the story of the pioneer Farndales.

Nineteenth century migrations

The vast migrations of Europeans and Asians began in the 1500s and peaked in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

New South Wales was a tiny, starving and violent convict settlement in the 1790s, but in a few decades had a convict designed church, a grammar school, university, cathedral and parliament.

Of some 50m emigrants from Europe between 1815 and 1930, there was a disproportionate number of British (11.4M) and Irish (7M) contrasted to Germany (4.8M).

British and Irish Migration

	US	%	British North America (Canada)	%	Australia and New Zealand	%	Cape and Natal	%	Total
1815 to 1830	150,160	40.2	209,707	56	8,935	2.3			373,338
1831 to 1840	308,247	43.8	322,485	45.8	67,882	9.5			703,150
1841 to 1850	1,094,556	65	429,044	25.5	127,124	7.5			1,684,892
1851 to 1860	1,495,243	65.4	235,285	10.3	506,802	22.1			2,287,205
1861 to 1870	1,424,466	72.4	192,250	9.9	280,198	14.2			1,967,570
1871 to 1880	1,531,851	68.7	232,213	10.4	313,105	14	9,803		2,228,395
1881 to 1890	2,446,018	70.8	395,160	11.4	383,729	11.1	88,991	2.5	3,455,655
1891 to 1900	1,814,293	68.2	328,411	12.3	131,629	4.9	215,590	8.1	2,661,532
1901 to 1914	3,449,173	51	1,865,807	27.6	540,557	8	447,120	6.6	6,764,310
Total	134,714,007	62	4,213,362	19	2,359,961	10.7	761,504	3.4	22,126,047

Indigenous populations, especially hunter gatherers though, saw an end of their world. Indigenous populations collapsed from disease. A quarter of the population of Fiji died from measles. In North America, the native population fell from about 10M to under half a million and in New Zealand from 100,000 to 40,000; Australia from 750,000 to 60,000.

The settlers believed that the inhabitants of undeveloped sparsely populated land could just move on, but the nomadic peoples were spiritually and economically dependent on their intimate knowledge of their territory.

Parliamentary committees from 1814 began to consider the plight of the Aboriginal Peoples of the British Empire and enacted laws to restrain British subjects. The Society for the Protection of Aborigines was an international human rights organisation founded in 1837, to ensure the health and well-being and the sovereign, legal and religious rights of the indigenous peoples while also promoting the civilisation of the indigenous people who were subjected under colonial powers.

Gladstone hoped that political responsibility would make settlers more moderate in their actions, but in places like New Zealand and South Africa, British troops fought wars with native peoples to secure land often destabilised by the settlers. However the ambitions of 50M were probably uncontrollable.

(Robert Tombs, The English and their History, 2023, 548 to 551).

Earliest migrations

Our early ancestors were the inhabitants of Farndale. We know of some of those who lived in Farndale in medieval times (see FAR00001 and FAR00002). We know a little of the forest of Farndale (FAR00003 and FAR00004). Edmund the hermit was presumably not one of our ancestors. But perhaps William the Smith of Farndale, 1240 (FAR00009), John the Shepherd of Farndale, 1250 (FAR00010), Roger milne (miller) of Farndale, 1265 (FAR00013A) and Simon the miller of Farndale, 1282 (FAR00021) were our early ancestors living in Farndale.

Over time, folk started to adopt names which described them by place or occupation. Examples are Nicholas de Farndale, the first personal name linked to Farndale (see FAR000006 and Farndale 1), Peter de Farndale (see FAR000008 and Farndale 2), Gilbert de Farndale (FAR00018 and Farndale 3), and Simon de Farndale (FAR00021 and Farndale 4). So our ancestors started to called themselves de Farndale, and in time just used the Farndale name. That process signalled the start of a spread of our ancestors out of Farndale to the surrounding lands. At that time, such movements were no doubt as bold and significant as later emigrations to Australia, Canada and New Zealand. We know for instance that De Johanne de Farndale, 1275 (FAR00014) moved further afield to Egton.

Initially the spread of the Farndales remained tight. They moved into the area of, or adjacent to, the North Yorkshire Moors. For instance Walter de Farndale, 1275 (FAR00015) was vicar who moved widely. Richard de Farndale, 1275 (FAR00016) had a gift of land at Marton (now part of Middlesborough). Over time there became established a large grouping of our ancestors to the north of the moors, in Cleveland, around Kilton, Skelton and Kirkleatham.

If Farndale was ‘the cradle of the Farndales’, Cleveland became the heart of the wider family over centuries.

UK Migrations

From an early stage, Farndales started to move beyond the bounds of the North Yorkshire Moors. For instance William Farndale, 1342 (FAR00038) became vicar of Doncaster.

There appear to have been some early migrants to Sussex such as Robert Farndale, born 1460, Rector (FAR00056) and Essex such as William Farndale, born 1450 (FAR00056A).

There were many Farndales who moved to London including

· the London 1 Line descended from Samuel Farndale 1866-1936 (FAR000475) and who became a clerk at Portsea near Portsmouth and then moved to London;

· the London 2 Line descended from James Farndale 1911 to 1935 (FAR00778A) who moved to Hammersmith;

· the London 3 Line descended from George Farndale, born 1921 (FAR00871), who moved to Lambeth and Greenwich; and

· the London 4 Line who were descended from Joseph Farndale, 1931 to 1986 (FAR00919)).

Other Farndale families moved to:

· Bradford (the Bradford 1 Line, descended from Robert Farndale, 1909-1978 (FAR00755); the Bradford 2 Line, descended from Wilfred Farndale 1910 to 1965 (FAR00766); and the Bradford 3 Line, descended from Henry Farndale 1916 to 1945 (FAR00832))

· Leeds (the Leeds 1 Line descended from Joseph Farndale, 1896-1950 (FAR00675); and the Leeds 2 Line descended from Charles Farndale, 1906-1964 (FAR00738))

· Wakefield (the Wakefield 1 Line descended from Thomas Farndale 1839-1919 (FAR00344) and from whom descended Joseph Farndale (FAR00463) who became Chief Constable of Birmingham)

· Bishop Auckland (the Bishop Auckland 1 Line descended from Thomas Farndale 1822-1854 (FAR00280))

Farndales migrated to Holderness, Cumbia (Carlisle and the Lake District)

Others migrated to Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge, and Uxbridge

The Wales 1 Line and the Wales 2 Line moved to Wales.

The overseas migrations

The Victorian Era saw significant emigrations of Farndale families to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This was an age of large families which could not be supported on the available land, whilst new opportunities beckoned across the British Empire.

The two lineages of Australian Farndales

There were two families who emigrated to Australia.

Australian Emigrants, Liverpool Harbour in the 1850s

The Birregurra (Australia 1) Line were the descendants of Matthew Farndale 1793-1884 (FAR00225), the first Farndale to emigrate to Australia on 8 October 1852. Matthew Farndale, aged 59, his wife Hannah Farndale, formerly Thompson, aged 45, his daughter Elizabeth Farndale aged 19 (FAR00323) and his daughter Mary Ann Martin (nee Farndale) (FAR00313) aged 23 left Southampton on ‘The Argo’ (967 tons) on 8 Oct 1852.They arrived in Melbourne Australia on 19 January 1853, a journey of 103 days or some three months.

Although the name Farndale did not continue as Matthew had two daughters, a large family was descended from Matthew – see Farndales and their descendants of Australia and the Martin family.

The Australia 2 Line were the descendants of Clifford Farndale born 1927 (FAR00903) who also emigrated to south Australia and whose Farndale descendants still live in Australia.

The Ontario Farndales

The Ontario 1 Line were the descendants of John Farndale (FAR00337), 1836-1909, who served about 1853-56 in the Crimea in the 28th of Foot a Yorkshire Regiment, became a printer’s apprentice before he emigrated to Ontario (possibly via Australia). His family still live in Ontario, and some in Nova Scotia.

The Ontario 2 Line were the descendants of Samuel Kirk Farndale, born 1871 (FAR00512).

The American Farndales

The American 1 Line were the descendants of James Farndale (FAR00607) who sailed for Canada, aged 28 and joined his brothers Martin and George and his sister Kate. He spent two years in Canada and kept a diary of his journey out and of his first year.

Given limited opportunities in those early days in Canada, he decided to go on to USA in 1915. He managed to get into Duluth High School from where he got himself a place at Valpraiso University in Indiana. At the university he met Edna Adams whom he married on 25 September 1917. When the USA declared war on Germany in 1917, he joined the American Army and went to France.

In 1918, he was posted to San Antonio where he left the army and he and Edna later went to live at Plymouth, Indiana, but by then he had developed lung trouble. He began to make a living at carpentry. In 1919, he moved to the west coast to try to get to a better climate and to be near Edna's parents. Jim built them a house at Los Angeles and then he built one for himself. At this time, Jim was working in an architect's office and at the same time, he was attending the University of California in Los Angeles. He did this until 1929 when his health began to give him serious trouble and the doctors said he must live in a really dry climate.

Their first child, Hazel Jane, was born in Los Angeles on September 1922 and their second, James, on December 1923. Mary was born in 1926. The family moved to a ranch in the desert at Las Vegas in 1929. Life became a hard struggle for Jim and he did the best he could as a 'finish carpenter'. In 1930, they moved into Las Vegas and built a house.

In 1932, their fourth child, Gordon, was born. Although still a finish carpenter, Jim had become Business Agent for the Carpenter's Union. It was in this year that he first became involved in the Boulder Dam project. In 1935 their fifth child and second daughter, Doris, was born. Jim was now proving himself to be an efficient administrator through his work with the Carpenter's Union and the Boulder Dam Project. He developed a reputation for reliability and honesty. Accordingly, in 1936, he was elected to the Nevada State Assembly. After a four year period, he was re-elected for a second term, in 1940. In 1942, he was elected to serve in the Nevada State Senate and was to complete a four year term, until 1946. He did much work on housing projects in the State and never forgot the World War One veterans.

Tragedy struck in September 1955 when his daughter, Doris, was killed in a motor accident at the age of twenty. Jim took this very hard indeed and never really recovered from it.

Jim's family were the first of a new generation of Farndales. His son, Jim, had no family, but his son Gordon had a son, Mark and a daughter, Linda.

Former Senator James Farndale died in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 20 Jan 1967. Edna Farndale (nee Adams), died, Austin Texas November 1979.

 There is more information about the Farndales of America

The American 2 Line were the descendants of George William Farndale (FAR00643) born in Coatham. He emigrated to USA at the age of 17 in about 1907 and established a Farndale line in USA. He married Frances Hilton in USA, either in New York or Chicago. Frances appears to have come from England too. Frances appears to have died in late November or early December 1918 from swine flu. George appears to have married Rose Cunningham in the 1920s in either Cedar Rapids or Desmoines, Iowa and appears to have come back to Prophetstown about 5 years later. Arthur and Richard were being raised by the McFadden family of Prophetstown, Illinois. George took Arthur, leaving Richard with the McFaddens and moved to Milwaukee, WI. George Farndale died in August 1984 at Thiensville, Wisconsin, USA, aged 94

The American 3 Line were the descendants of John A Farndale (FAR00921), born in the Croydon District. It was probably John Alan Farndale who travelled on the Queen Elizabeth to New York in 1957 (he would be aged 25). He later lived in Santa Ana, California. He married Ardith Fay Gebben (US Citizen). After a divorce, he later married Marion Dorothea Klaembt (US Citizen) on 19 May 1984

Other Farndales who emigrated to America include:

· William George Farndale (FAR00492), a clerk of Middlesbrough who went to USA in 1907;

· William Jameson Farndale (FAR00677);

· Georgina Ann Farndale (FAR00934) who emigrated to USA;

· Anthony Reginald Chesters Farndale (FAR00944) who emigrated to USA;

The Alberta Farndales

The Tidkinhow Line were the descendants of Martin Farndale (FAR00364) and of his family of twelve:

· Martin Farndale (FAR00571) emigrated to Trochu and was a cattle farmer in Alberta;

· George Farndale (FAR00588) emigrated to Three Hills Alberta

· Kate Farndale (FAR00601) emigrated to Three Hills, Alberta, where her descendants, the Kinsey family, still live;

· James Farndale (FAR00607) emigrated to Alberta and later on to America;

· William Farndale (FAR00647) emigrated to Saskatchewan and served in the Canadian Army in World War 1, dying shortly after that War from influenza;

· Grace Farndale (FAR00659) emigrated to Alberta, married Howard Holmes and lived on a ranch there, before returning later in her life to Alberta; She wrote a diary.

· Alfred Farndale (FAR00683) emigrated to Alberta, built his own house there, before returning to Yorkshire after the Great Depression.

Alfred building his house in Alberta in about 1928

Harvesting on the Prairies

The Newfoundland Farndales

The Newfoundland Line were the descendants of John Farndale 1886 – 1966 (FAR00613) who emigrated to Newfoundland.

The New Zealand Farndales

The New Zealand Line were the descendants of Ronald Farndale (FAR00852) who emigrated to Masterton, near Auckland, New Zealand. See the New Zealand Farndales.

The New Zealand 2 Line are the descendants of Wilf Farndale (FAR00769).

Others

In more recent times of course Farndales have naturally found home in many places overseas.

For instance Keith Farndale (FAR00976) spent time in Paris.