SCARF/SCARFTHE/SCHARF; IRL; Cirac 1600
Darryl Scarff
Old Norse or Norman surname in Ireland? Any clues?
Family enquiries indicate that my earliest known ancestor was
Cormac Scarfthe, born circa.1560, Thormond, Munster, Ireland.
Family sources suggest the existence of records from Corcomroe
Abbey which identify this family name.
Can any person put me in contact with anyone who could confirm
the existence of any records where the name "Scarf" or spelling variant
is recorded?
The following chart has been handed down in this family.
Cormac SCARFTHE 1580 Ireland
Ainmire SCARFH 1600 Ireland
Eoghan SCARFH 1640 Ireland
Eoghan SCARFE 1670 Ireland
Padraig SCARFF 1700 Ireland
William SCARFE 1700 (migrated to Lonan, Isle of Man)
J.F. SCARF 1720 Manth
Tomas SCARF 1760
Eoin SCARF 1792
John SCARF ????
Beauchamp SCARF 1800 Ireland
Beauchamp SCARF 1830 Ireland
Joseph SCARF 1865 Ireland
Other spellings found are Scharf, Scariff, Skarf, Scalf.
This family lived on the border of Co.Kilkenny and Co.Carlow ca.1800.
It is suspected that they were living in Co. Wexford at the time of the
uprising of 1798 and subsequently sought refuge on the Kilkenny/Carlow
border circa 1800.
It is believed that they lived in Killarney, Co. Kerry circa. 1700
and also in Co. Clare circa 1500, when it was known as Thormond
It has been suggested that earliest family origins were in Munster
in the area of Tuangraney and Scarrif.
The name is thought to be Scandanavian, either Viking or Norman.
The name "Scarf" could be an Old Norse name from the time of
the Viking occupation of Limerick. There is an Old Norse name which
is spelt "Skarf". The Old Norse word "skarfr" means "cormorant'.
The name Scarf is found in the Orkneys and on the Isle of Man.
The brothers Thorgils and Cormac Skardi were the Viking founders
of Scarborough (Skarf borough).
The name may be of Norman origin. An ancestor may have been
part of the Norman forces who accompanied Strongbow during the
English occupation of Leinster. The name Scarf with many spelling
variants is commonly found in North Yorkshire, England, particularly
around York, Leeds and Ripon.The name is recorded in the
13th. CenturyAssize rolls for Yorkshire.
The statutes of Kilkenny, 1366, banned the use of Gaelic names
and mandated the conversion of Gaelic names to an anglicized
version or equivalent. It has also been suggested that the name SCARTH
may be an anglicized version of the name Mac Carthach... by adding
the letter S and deleting the ach. English "Officialdom" would have
chosen a name known to them from England.
Any ideas? Any information or guidance would be appreciated!
Darryl Scarff <dsc...@albury.net.au>