Hi all, my first post in a long long time.

Have been trying to see if I can find out the meaning of the name Redvers. It is my Grandfathers name, who was born 'n' bred in the forest.

Have been researching the Simmonds/Simmons/Symmonds/Symons/Simons family in depth for a few months now, and thought it would be interesting to see where their names derived from.

I have learned that Redvers used to be a surname until the 19th century, but no suggestions of where it came from or what it could actually mean!

While I'm posting, like to take the opportunity to send a big thanks to David Drinkwater who supplied me with lots of Simmonds family details and leads a few years ago, it has certainly helped me along the way!!!

Hope to hear from anyone who can help :)

Thanks

Rachael

Hi Rachael

Redvers is such an unusual name that I picked up on your post straight away. I have one person with the name Redvers in my tree, born 1904. His father William and my 2XG Grandfather Walter were brothers. Their mum was Eliza Simmonds. Could this also be your family?

Would be great to hear from you!

Jo

Hi Jo,

Yes it is a very unusual name indeed!
I'm sure there has to be a link in there somewhere, my Grandfather was born 1923 though. Altho, in my family tree there is a trend of naming children after parents/aunties/uncles etc so it would not surprise me if there was some kind of link to Eliza Simmonds. Just checking my tree, but have not done as much branching out as I would have liked! My Grandfather came from a huge family, with step-brothers and sisters also.
Do you have any of these names in your ancestry, most dates are rough estimates

G-G Father;
Henry Simmonds b. roughly 1876
G-G Mother;
Mabel Mills b. 1887
Henry's first wife was Alice Mason

G-G-G Father;
Aaron Simmonds b. 1844

G-G-G Mother;
Maria Stevens b 1845

Aaron & maria had a child out of wedlock called George, and went on to have other Simmonds children called;
Emily
Frederick
Jesse
John
William
Ernest
Matilda
Samuel
Jane
There are probably many more relatives which I have yet to record as I want to make sure I use accurate information.
Nice to hear from you!
Rachael

Hi
While researching my elusive great grandmother, Catherine POWELL, I came accross an entry for a Jack Redvers POWELL living at Upton Court farm . He can be seen on the 1881 census(or the 1891 one) son of Thomas and Caroline POWELL
Sylvia
I have the census records if you are interested

On FreeBMD there are 77 Redvers registered in Gloucestershire between 1900-1910. I haven't checked either side of these dates. I have a Redvers in my family - so I guess a popular name at one time.

Redvers Bullar was a General in the Boer War and won the VC
- can check him online.
It's an example of people naming children after a current celebrity
- so nothing new there! Hope this helps RER.

I didn't realise it was a rare name.
Sheffield City Council has an office block called Redvers House! I'm wondering if it's named after someone with that surname.

This accounts for the use as a christian name around the turn of late 1800 / early 1900 .

Redvers Buller was born in 1839 in Crediton Devon.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/southwest/series5/general_buller.shtml

1841 Downes House
James Buller abt 1799 Devon, England Crediton, Devon
Charlotte Buller abt 1811 Crediton, Devon
Julia Buller abt 1833 Crediton, Devon
James Buller abt 1836 Devon, England Crediton, Devon
Adele Buller abt 1838 Devon, England Crediton, Devon
Redvers Buller abt 1840 Devon, England Crediton, Devon

The De REDVERS / De REVIERS family had been long established as Earls of Devon since the early 1100's.

Richard de Ripariis, afterwards anglicized into Redvers, or less commonly, Rivers, and, King Henry created him Earl of Devon,
conferred upon him the lordship of Tiverton, which continued to be the principal seat of his descendants until the reign of
Queen Mary, and also gave him the great barony of Plympton.

Richard, first Earl of Devon, died in the year 1107; he was succeeded by his eldest son Baldwin "de Redvers," as second earl.

The De REDVERS family ties into the COURTNAY family of Landrake, a marriage into the BULLERs leads eventually to the father of Redvers BULLER - James Wentworth Buller, MP

A classmate of mine at Drybrook School in the late 1940s was called Redvers Baldwin. He lived on Morse Road - I assume he was named after the Boer war general, but may be wrong.
Gerry Meek.

Hi all - found this forum while googleing Redvers as it is my middle name. Has been passed to me by my grandfather who was born in Bideford, Devon. I have never really put much thought into its origins until now but if it is quite rare i would like to know more. Will question my grandad about it and report back.

Rachael,

My Grandfather from the Forest of Dean was also a Redver. I was searching the internet o find the meaning of the name and came across your post.

My sister Catherine Wilce is researching our family tree - so maybe worth speaking to her incase it sheds any light for both of you.

Maxine

Rachael

Just to add the Marfell influence :

Redvers Sidney Marfell was born 14 Nov 1904 and died 8 Nov 1976. Nothing unusual so far........

In Hope Mansell Church there is a stained glass window - dedicated :

"To The Glory Of God and in the Memory Of Redvers S Marfell 1904 - 1976"

Jim Ashton

Hello Jo, can you contact me on rozbrennan@btinternet.com
I have been trying to contact you on Ancestry for months, my grandfather is Fernley Redvers Venner born 1904 in Cornwall. Roz

Hi, I saw you question and wanted to let you know that I have a little 6yr old called Redvers named after my husbands grandfather, coincidentally my managers new nephews middle name is also Redvers, all this is west Wales! I was told that it was an Anglo Saxon name meaning the man from the red ford similar to radford? As far as I know the name has been passed down at least the last 3 generations? Not sure where from originally.

Hi Scarlet and welcome to this friendly forum, thanks for bringing the sunshine !
just to add that in case you hadn't realised the forum is searchable and is a great source of reference material in itself. There have been quite a few prior threads relating to this surprisingly common "rare" surname, if you get my meaning.
This one has a few more suggestions, it's been recorded way back in Norman times, I hope it's of interest.
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=35141
Good luck with your researches and thanks again.

Hi

I am aware I am slow on the uptake, but I have been researching my family. My surname is de Redvers-Lyons. I understand it is an uncommon christian name, but it seems to be an even more uncommon surname. Has anyone come across any Redvers in surnames along their travels?

Hi

I am aware I am slow on the uptake, but I have been researching my family. My surname is de Redvers-Lyons. I understand it is an uncommon christian name, but it seems to be an even more uncommon surname. Has anyone come across any Redvers in surnames along their travels?

In the 1911 Census for England and Wales there are approx 20 examples of REDVERS as a surname, perhaps 6 in 1901, which points to my earlier Boer war connection.