Family history
There are two, Scurfield family lines – both originating from the same region in north east England. There remains the possibility that the two lines are connected, but no direct evidence of this has yet been established.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The oldest Scurfield name referenced belonged to Foulke Scurfield, [2] who was allegedly born in the 14th century. There is a lineage for him, however that lineage ends in the 16th century and any connection to a continuing line of Scurfields is, at this point, pure speculation. The Golden Grove book of pedigrees, which is generally considered very reputable, references a Sir John Scurfield (a descendant of Foulke), of Kendal in Westmoreland. He allegedly married Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Greene (1369–1417) and his wife Mary Talbot. The Talbots and Greenes are well-established families, [3] but nothing further can be found on the alleged daughter Mary Greene, nor any other reference to a Scurfield connection to the Greene family.
The earliest Scurfield with traced and living descendants is George Scurfield who, in 1580, owned and occupied, Sheraton Grange Farm [4] in the parish of Monk Hesledon. Through ownership of land, this family was “immensely wealthy” and well respected. The property was passed down through six generations of Scurfields, until William Scurfield (born 1755, Coatham, Durham), departed the world in 1790 with only one daughter. In 1831, his daughter Joanna passed the property to her eldest son, George John Grey (born 1810). Before accepting the gift, George took the name George John Grey Scurfield by royal licence. Unfortunately, none of George’s children had issue and, as a result, the property was passed down to nephews who had no interest in the property further than the money it could be sold for. Without the property to retain and generate wealth, the family money was dissipated. Even so, members of this line of Scurfield is often found to be associated with the arts, and several of George Scurfield's living descendants earn their living working as musicians, actors, and authors, such as actor Matthew Scurfield, son of the late author George Scurfield.
Matthew Scurfield is an English actor and the eldest child of author George Scurfield and his wife Cecilia.
The other Scurfield family line are descendants of the English working class. The earliest known patriarch of this line has the name of Simon Scurfield, [5] who was born 1644 in Washington, Co. Durham. Nothing is known of where Simon Scurfield came from or what his occupation was; however, his grandson Simon, born 1722 Washington, Co. Durham, was a captain of the trades at the South Shore port. The County of Durham is rich in coal, and the Scurfields who did not have property and wealth worked the coal mines. In the later half of the 18th century the mines started to close. By the time the Haswell Colliery was finally closed in 1896, [6] most of the residents of the area had already moved to find employment elsewhere. The descendants of the few Scurfields who decided to seek opportunity in North America have often enjoyed unusual success in business and professional practices; such as Ralph Thomas Scurfield, and his first cousin Justice John Scurfield, Q.C., to name but two.
Ralph Thomas Scurfield B.Sc was a Canadian businessman. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nu-West Group Limited (1957–1985), and was an original owner of the Calgary Flames. On February 18, 1985, he was killed in an avalanche while heli-skiing on Mount Duffy in the Bugaboo Mountains, near Blue River, British Columbia.
John M. Scurfield,, styled The Honourable Mr. Justice was a Canadian judge.
