A List of Toponymical 'Ferthings' Surnames derived from places are called toponyms.  For years surname specialists have listed the toponymical form of 'Ferthing' as one of the origins of the Farthing surname.  Examples are 'atte Ferthing' (at a ferthing) and 'de la Ferthing' (from the ferthing).  Stressing the importance of this origin is strange, given the fact that there are so few listings of it in the records.  There are far fewer toponymical  forms of the name than the personal name Farthegn, for example.  Also, when examining the following list, keep in mind that to be a family name, it needs to be passed not only from parent to heir but to all the children of a family and then on to all those of each son, indefinitly. The use of "de la" and "atte" Ferthing was relatively short-lived, and after being used off and on for administrative purposes, disappeared from the records. But were there any cases in which it was actually replaced by Ferthing? Further research is necessary if this alternative origin of the Farthing surname is to have credence. - c. 1230 - Adam de la Ferthyng was listed in the De l'Isle (Isle of Wight) Manuscripts in the Kent Archives Office. - c. 1230 - Robert de la Furthyng (sic) was listed in the De l'Isle (Isle of Wight) Manuscripts in the Kent Archives Office. - 1262 - Rob. (Robert) Atte ferhting (sic) was listed in The Feet of Fines for Sussex. From Middle English Local Surnames, by M. T. Lofvenberg, (Lund, Sweden, 1942). - 1263 - Nicholaus Atte ferhting (sic) is listed in The Feet of Fines for Sussex.  The village is not mentioned in the source Middle English Dictionary, ed. by Hans Kurath, assoc. ed. Sherman M. Kuhn, (Ann Arbor, U.S.A.:  University of Michigan Press, 1953), p. 523. - 1279 - Robert de la Ferthing was listed in Sussex..  From The Place-Names of Sussex, by the English Place-Name Society. - 1296 - Godfro (Godfrey) de la Ferthing paid 4 shillings, 9 1/2 pence in taxes in Sussex.  The record is unclear whether the village was Sullington or Thakenham.  From Sussex Record Society, Volume X, (London:  Mitchell Hughes and Clarke, Printers, 1910), p. 54. - 1327  - Walt' (Walter) atte Ferthing paid 2 shillings, 1 1/2 pence in taxes in the village of Warnham, Sussex.  In 1332 the same man, listed as Walto (Walter) atte Ferthyng, paid 3 shillings, 1 pence in taxes in Warnham.  From Sussex Record Society, Volume X, p.154, 269. - 1327 - Joh. (John) atte Ferthyng was listed in The Place-Names of Sussex. From MELS by Lofvenberg. - 1333 - John atte fferthynge was listed in Somersetshire.  From Mels, by Lofvenberg, (Lund, Sweden,  1942).  The spelling "Ferthyng" is unusual in that the land measurement was almost always spelled "ferling" in Somersetshire. - 1355 - Sim. (Simon) atte Ferthyng was listed in The Feet of Fines for Sussex. From MELS, by Lofvenberg. As a matter of fact, all the spellings above are exceptions and not the rule.  During this time period the parcel of land was almost always referred to as a "ferling": - 1203 - Bartholomeus de Ferlinges was a surety in a court case in Essex.  From Curia Regis Rolls of the Reigns of Richard I and John, 3-5 John, (Krauss reprint, 1971), p. 246. - 1203 - Edwardum (Edward) Ferling was listed in Easton, Suffolk.  From Curia Regis Rolls of the Reigns of Richard I and John, 3-5 John, (Krauss reprint, 1971), p. 149. - 1227 - Ricardus (Richard) Ferling, location unknown. From Rotuli Litterarum Clanarum, Vol. II, ed. by Thomas Duffus Hardy, (London: printed by George E. Eyre and Andrew Spottiswoode, 1844), p. 277. In London it was called a "ferlinge" or "ferlyng" (1381); in Hampshire it was called a "ferling" (1236); in Devonshire it was called a "ferthedel" (1204), or "ferling", "ferting", and "ferding" (1086); in Somersetshire it was called a "ferding" and "ferling" (1086), and "ferling" (1332); in Huntingdon it was a called a "ferlingel" (1086); the Manx called it a "farling" and the Irish called it a "feoirling". As you can see, some of these examples listed in the above paragraph date back to the compilation of Domesday Book in 1086. During this time a greater number and variety of personal names were in use than ever before or after this date. I can't help but notice that, of the many thousands of personal names, nicknames, and locational names, not one pertained to the ferthing, ferling, or ferding. Not one was derived from the coin or parcel of land. In comparison, there are three examples of the personal name Farthegn listed in Domesday Book. Click on Previous Page or go to the Next Page for information on Thomas Farthing, Renaissance musician and composer.