History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 79

RUTHERFORD HISTORY
Scotland - Roxburghshire
The earliest accounts of the name Rutherfurd/Rutherford in Scotland come from the
12th century. Robertus dominus de Rodyrforde witnessed a charter by David I to
Gervase de Rydal, in or about 1140. In Scotland the Rutherfurds/Rutherfords are a
large extended family or in the true meaning of the word, "a clan" or group of "near
kin" or "children". Our great fortune as a family is that we have such an old and
relatively well-documented family history. The Rutherfurd/Rutherford name has been
in written use for over 800 years in Scotland and predates that by two centuries in
West Flanders. The Flemish origins of the name must surely account for the great
number of Rutherfurd/Rutherford spelling variations. In his book, "The Rutherfords of
Britain, a history and guide" Kenneth Rutherford Davis lists over 300 spellings for our
surname. Today Rutherford, Rutherfurd and Rutherfoord are the three most common
permutations.
Most of the 'origin stories' for the Rutherfords are a quaint form of Scottish fiction
called "pseudo-Celtic mythology" i.e. "ancient stories" that have little basis in truth.
The most common of these is the story of a man named Ruther who showed a
Scottish king the way to ford the River Tweed. Another fable is much like it. King
Ruther, Rhydderch Hael, King of Strathclyde, was fleeing a hostile army when he
crossed the Tweed at "Ruther's Ford". The story of King Ruther's queen is the most
common source of connection between King Ruther and the Rutherfurd family patron
saint, Saint Kentigern. The legend says that King Ruther's queen was once unfaithful
to King Ruther and she gave her lover a ring that had been a present to her from the
King. While walking by the River Clyde, the King came across a young man sleeping
on the riverbank. He immediately recognized his wife's ring on his finger and, tearing it
from the gigolo's hand, he threw it into the river. Later that day, he insisted that his
wife produce the ring as a sign of fidelity. His queen was frantic and turned to St.
Kentigern for help. The two prayed together and, at that very moment, the queen's
servants, who were fishing for dinner, caught a large salmon in the Clyde. In its mouth,
they found the ring! King Ruther's command was thus satisfied and he was obliged to
accept his wife's innocence. This story took place on the present day site of the city of
Glasgow and that city's heraldic arms commemorates this story with a statue of St.
Kentigern, a golden ring and a salmon.
Another fable, with variations, describes an English army which foolishly abandoned a
strong position on the heights above the Tweed to attack a Scottish force on the
opposite bank. The English attempted to cross the river and were defeated. The
victorious Scots are said to have named the place "Rue the Ford", to commemorate
the disaster. Lastly, a possible etymology; "hryther" meaning "oxen or cattle" and
"ford" meaning a river crossing in Old English. However, there is no evidence that the
Rutherfurds were in Britain when Old English was in still in use. All of these stories
concerning the supposed origins of the Rutherfurd/Rutherford name are from an
impossibly early period of Scottish history. The name Rutherfurd is much more likely
the Flemish compound word "ridder" or "rudder" a horse mounted knight and "voorde"
a ford. Hence, Ruddervoorde, or "a knight's river crossing".

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