Re: THE EXECUTION OF REV. THOMAS HANSFORD

Penny, I am going to now try to answer your question about the different Han(d)ford/Hansford families. There are at least three distinctly different Handford families in England and perhaps more. One group originated in Dorset, one in Cheshire, and one in Staffordshie. We have assumed the London Handford family is of Cheshire origin but I now question that. I know little about the Dorset and Stafford Hanfords. The Cheshire family was there at the time of the conquest and were granted a large tract of land known as Honforth Cum Bosden, now known as Handforth. I have this lineage which is long and I do not plan to give it here. The titles 'Lord of Honforth' passed (many male generations) to William Hondford, Lord of Hondford, who was slain at Flodden 9-9-1513.With him the name Honforth became extinct and the titles passed to Sir Urian Brereton, who was on the privy cancel of Henry VII, who had intermarried with Lady Margaret Hondford, sole heir of William. It was Margaret who built Hondforth Hall. The titles then passed through the Breretons. The London family may be an early off spring of Honforth Cum Bosden as they were using the arms Honforth. However, I have just found that they were probably in London by the 14thc. Adam Handforde's will was proved in London 1391. He lived less than one block from where the Handforde merchant tailors were living in the mid to late 15th c. There were two brothers Robert who married Thomasine, heiress of George Harewood, and fathered William the merchant tailor, ancestor of the Virginia Hanfords. The 2nd son was Laurence who removed from London to Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and was father of Thomas Hanford who later by his marriage to the heiress Margaret Hugford (heiress to the Vampage estate) became Lord of Woolashull (now Woolas Hall). The titles of Woolas Hall passed several generations but in 1816 the direct line became extince and the titles passed to a distant cousin Charles Edward Hanford who died 1857 leaving no male heir. His daughter Frances married William Lloyd Flood and by Royal License from The College of Arms he was allowed the name Hanford-Flood, the arms Honforth, and the titles. He did have a son but the son failed to produce a male heir and the name and titles became extinct. The last Hanford-Flood was the grandfather of General Rex Whitworth, now 85, with whom I recently visited in England. With no titles, etc. General's mother sold Woolas Hall in 1920s. General is a wonderful person, a perfect gentleman, and quite sharpe for 85. He is a graduate of Eaton/Cambridge and was in charge of the British forces in Africa in WWII. I am sure there are no Hanford lineal descendants of the direct Honforth Cum Bosden line and there should be no Hanford descendants of the Woolas Hall line (again London) as they were unable to pass the titles to Hanford. Those of us ofVirginia are ofLondon Handford (and perhaps, I hope, Cheshire). Again, Hope this answers your question. Bill