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Project status: specialist person, place, branch or record study; architecture reviewed 29 August 2026. Claims remain subject to the evidence statement on this page.
John Duffield (abt.1744-1834) is tested as R-FT32941, which is upstream from the main Glasgow surname YDNA SNP
R-FT32941 formed around 1070 CE, just four years after the Norman Conquest (1066). This timing suggests it originated within Norman or Anglo-Norman populations with Scandinavian paternal ancestry due to Viking settlements in Normandy.
Norman knights bearing R-Z18—including subclades like R-U106 and FT32941—were granted lands in England and Scotland following William the Conqueror’s victory. One such individual, Henry de Ferrers, received estates in Derbyshire, including Duffield, where a Norman motte-and-bailey castle was constructed to secure the region.
The Duffield surname suggests direct descent from Norman lords who later spread their influence into Scotland under King David I (r. 1124–1153), reinforcing the idea that R-FT32941 traveled northward as part of the Norman feudal expansion. The surname Duffield originates in Derbyshire, England, where it was associated with Norman landowners granted estates after 1066. The first recorded instance of the Duffield surname appears in 1190, with Roger de Duffeld mentioned in Yorkshire’s Poll Tax records. This aligns with the timeline of R-FT32941's expansion, supporting the theory that the first known Duffield bore this Y-DNA lineage. Additional research into feudal records suggests that the Duffield family held lands under the Ferrers lineage (Henri (Ferrières) de Ferrers (abt.1036-abt.1101)), indicating a close connection to early Norman rule in England.
Migration pattern of 'de Duffields' View source illustration John de Duffield – Vicar of Stannington (Sheffield) in 1370; died in 1388.
Richard Duffield – Vicar of Stranton (Hartlepool) in 1437; received a bequest from Bishop Neville in 1457 (Source: S.S., 9).
Thomas de Duffield – Archdeacon of Northumberland, exchanged his position for the Rectory of Blofield in 1369; may have later served as Master of University College, Oxford in 1396 (Source: P.R.).
https://archive.org/stream/fastidunelmenses/fastidunelmenses_djvu.txt
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/about/MQCZ-DB3
Research Notes
Roger Mortimer (1194-1227) https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/GP5Q-DJ4 Engenulf (Ferrers) de Ferrers (abt.1060-) master of Duffield Castle
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