The name Ferris is a corruption of the word Ferorieres, a small town of
Gastinors, France. The town is so named because of the iron mines that are
the main stay of the area's economy. In Welsh fferis signifies steel. The
English Ferris family was originally from Leicestershire, England and
descended from the house of Feriers, the ancestor of the family in England
was Henry de Feriers, the son of Guillaume (William) de Feriers, master of
the house of the Duke of Normandy. William received from William the
Conqueror large grants of land in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and
Worchestershire. It is said that William took a prominent part in the battle of
Hastings fought on October 14, 1066 when William the Conqueror defeated
Harold II, the last Saxon King of England.
Jeffrey Ferris
