CARD FAMILY HISTORY

This page is dedicated to the history of the branch of the Card family from Draycott and Rodney Stoke, Somerset.

Card appears to have been an occupational surname related to the carding of wool. By 1881, there was a notable concentration of the name in Sussex, a secondary concentration in the south-west (Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset) with an apparent offshoot in Monmouthshire, and a final band of concentration running from Surrey through London and Essex to Suffolk. The Scottish name Caird appears unrelated, but may have given rise to some derivative Card lines in the north.

The Card family appear in the registers of Rodney Stoke, Somerset from at least the start of the 17th century, and they appear to have lived in the hamlet of Draycott on the borders of the parish of Cheddar. A somewhat tentative tree has been constructed stretching back to George Card who was buried in 1607, and an outline of his apparent descendants is attached. There are several areas of uncertainty in this summary which definitely require further research. The will of Joseph Card (d. 1724), George's apparent great-grandson, left £10 to Rodney Stoke Church, and lists him as a 'gentleman of Draycott in the parish of Cheddar'.

A branch of the Card family (which is probably ultimately related to the Rodney Stoke line) flourished in nearby Westbury-sub-Mendip from at least the 1780's. This line is being researched by Terry Morgan and Julian Card. Another early local line in Brewham, stretching back into the 1650's, is being researched by Tony.

Anyone interested in further details of this branch of the Card family, or who is able to provide additional details relevant to this branch, is invited to contact the coordinator for this page Ian Hall.

This page was last updated 12 November 2007