The surname TATTERSFIELD is very rare. It always seemed extremely likely, based on conventional research, that we are all branches of one family. A study of available records points to West Yorkshire as the place where the family name originated, and to Dewsbury in particular. Exceptions were the family in London, and the Tatterfield family in Massachusetts. No documentary records have been found to connect either to Yorkshire.
From about 1770 to 1816 the name began to appear in other parts of England, notably in Heckmondwike (adjacent to Dewsbury), York, Hull, London, Leeds and East Lancashire. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries movements overseas took place, particularly to the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Australia and Central Africa.
The recent DNA Project has shown that, in fact, two genetically distinct families each had the surname in Dewsbury in the 18th century. This is described in more detail in a later section.
A Tatterfield family appeared in Massachusetts in 1870-75, having immigrated from Newfoundland. DNA testing now shows that they do not appear to be related to the Tattersfield families in England. Their family tree is nevertheless retained in this Website.
Some 1056 TATTERSFIELDs were registered as born in England in the 161 years from 1837 to 1998; fewer than seven per year.
The 1881 census of England recorded 283 TATTERSFIELDs living at that time, of whom 243 were in Yorkshire. By county, these were divided as follows:
| County | # in England |
|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 243 |
| Middlesex (London) | 13 |
| Warwickshire | 6 |
| Lancashire | 19 |
| Northants/Notts | 2 |
| TOTAL in England | 283 |
The location of those in Yorkshire was:
| PLACE | # in Census |
|---|---|
| Dewsbury, Batley, Thornhill, Soothill, Ossett | 71 |
| Heckmondwike, Liversedge | 59 |
| Mirfield | 70 |
| Huddersfield, Kirkheaton | 3 |
| Bradford, Pudsey | 6 |
| TOTAL within a radius of 8 miles of Dewsbury | 209 |
| York | 14 |
| Hull | 9 |
| Leeds | 11 |
| TOTAL in Yorkshire | 243 |
It is important to realise that places such as Heckmondwike and Mirfield are immediately adjacent to Dewsbury. The map below shows the relative positions in West Yorkshire of many of the places mentioned in this article. For scale, the distance from Dewsbury to Leeds is about 8 miles.
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