Historical Branches

Covered here in the Family Branches pages of the Surname Study are those family branches that are known based on some previous research or published results.  But  we have no active, known researchers in our project for these families; nor any DNA test results to fold in.  As we collect information in our surname study and cannot use it in an Active Branch, we will create a repository location here so the work is not lost and may be found if useful in the future.  Often, we will look for known descendants of the branch and encourage them to DNA test and get involved.  For surnames that are maybe not directly related to the focus of work here, but we need to collect information about them just in case, we place them in the next major section entitled Other Branches.

There are numerous references linking a number of these families together; beside the numerous ones linking the Risford Hores to almost all the Active Branches. William le Hore would be the earliest reference. Most list the Pole Hores as direct descendants from this line. Some list the closing of the Risford Manor in 1630 as the start of the (or return of more) Hore's in Wexford. But it appears the Risford Manor Hores and Pole Hores are likely existing at the same time in their respective areas. Which spawned or seeded or crossed the other is yet to be seen. Sir Richard Colt Hoar postulates that his line of the Banking Hoare's of London might have come from the Risford Manor Hore Line. As does Edward Hoare talking about his Irish line. And even Norton Horr got into it describing his Hezekiah Hore and his likely ancestors.

One of our members work, Nancy, is a more recent source of this mingling. See her geni.com page on William le Hore, for example. Now that they are propagating up DNA matching, it will be interesting to see how far they take various test results up these lines.

In summary, popular lore has it that line William le Hore of Wales went to Ireland as part of Strongbows' army to retake the country for the deposed King there. In return, he was given some land in Wexford that then started the Hore lines of Harperstown and then Pole Hore / Hore Town of Wexford. A non-inheriting son of the Pole Hores married into the only daughter of the Risford family and thus started the Hore line of Chagford, Devon there. Just as these lines are seemingly linked, almost every Hoare line in England claims linkage back to the Risford Hore line. Most often because that line ends by 1630 with little overlap to the start of other lines due to there being no earlier records.