Brief Life History of Frances
When Frances Fairfax was born on 13 December 1612, in Denton, Yorkshire, England, her father, Baron Ferdinand Fairfax, was 28 and her mother, Baroness Mary Sheffield, was 25. She married Sir Thomas Wetherington MP on 13 October 1634, in Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire East Riding, England, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 11 sons and 7 daughters. She died on 4 May 1649, in London, England, at the age of 36, and was buried in London, England.
Photos and Memories (3)
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Family Time Line
Sources (12)
- Legacy NFS Source: Frances Fairfax - birth-name: Francis Fairfax
- England, Durham Diocese, Calendar of Marriage Bonds & Allegations, 1594-1815; https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6DCR-4B?cc=1840743&wc=MLVD-PT1%3A165412001%2C165412002%2C165412401
- Frances in entry for Dorothy Widdrington, "England, Buckinghamshire, Church Records, 1217-1994"
Spouse and Children
Children (18)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (2)
1620 · The Pilgrims Board the Mayflower
"The Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in search of religious freedom in the New World in September 1620. The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers, 40 of whom called themselves ""Saints."" After two stormy months at sea, the ship reached the New World. Nearly half of the group died during their first winter due to malnutrition and the harsh New England winter."
1642 · The English Civil War
A series of conflicts regarding England's governance during the years 1642 to 1651 is now known as The English Civil War. Charles I summoned supporters to join him against his enemies in Parliament. In October 1642, nearly 10,000 men fought for Charles I and chased Parliament across the River Tamar. Fighting continued for years and was finally ended at the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, with a Parliamentarian victory.
Name Meaning
English: nickname for someone with beautiful long hair, from Middle English fair fax ‘beautiful tresses’. This was a common descriptive phrase in Middle English: the alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight refers to ‘fair fanning fax’ encircling the shoulders of the doughty warrior.
History: Thomas Fairfax (1693–1781), an army officer from Leeds Castle, Kent, England, first came to VA in 1735 and settled on maternal estates there as a proprietor in 1747.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Story Highlight
Fitzherbert, Martha story
When Martha FitzHerbert was born in 1621 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, her father, William, was 26, and her mother, Mary, was 25. She married Thomas (Capt) Witherington and they had 11 childre …
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