Talk:Harker

Origin of the Surname

This interesting snippit concerns Harkerside in Swaledale, Yorkshire, England:-"At the Conquest, the Lord of Ravensworth was named Akar Fitz Bardolph and the Harclas of Hartley Castle near Kirkby Stephen, are probably other varient examples of the patromymic now spelt Harker, but during the 14th or 15th centuries it was Harca, later changed to Harkey.This personal name morover still has numerous resident representatives.(In Swaledale)We almost think that the antecedents of every Harker might be run to their native earth, here on the bleak north facing slope of "Swa'dle"(as the natives love to clip its syllables in common speech."Reference: Richmondshire by Edmund Bogg C 1908 Printed in London and Leeds I thought it might be included somewhere in an article.I also have a book of Swaledale Wills and Inventories which confirm the existence of the Harkey surname in the 16th century in Swaledale, particularly around Keld. The cartulary of Reivaulx Abbey also contains rental records of Harkey families in Swaledale.--Harkey Lodger 19:02, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

I finally got round to creating Akarius Fitz Bardolph. There are several variants of the spelling -Arcar, Arcarius, Archarius, Arkar etc..--Harkey (talk) 12:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Origin of the Surname: Clues

Genelogical information points to origins from Cumbria to Southwest Scotland. The name has been assumed to be from the omitted hyphen in the name Har-Ker. Possibly dated back to Roman influence (i.e. Hadrian's Wall). The "Har" prefix has been assumed to be a variant of the Hart or Hare family name. The "Ker", is strongly indicated as part of the Kerr family name. It is not surprising that of a Hart (male red deer)/Hare (a rabbit) could be found living in a Kerr (a marshland). Both in which could be matched to environments of old Scotland. There has been found Harker coat of arms. This was in an association of a royal gameskeeper. The name, region and occupation may aid in the addition of future clues to this surname.