BOBBY SHAFTO M
ost of us know the folk song/nursery rhyme Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea and it is generally accepted as a North Eastern song. Those of you who weren’t raised in these parts can find it on I-tunes and other providers. So, what do we know about Bobby Shafto? Shafto or Shaftoe is a Northumbrian name. Shafto comes from an old English word first recorded in 1231 that meant a shaft shaped ridge of rock. There is a rock formation known as Shafto Crags near Belsay and the surrounding area and its residents took the name.
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Freemen Magazine
The family from which Bobby is said to have sprung were the Ffolliots who were established at Shafto Crags in the 14th century and unsurprisingly adopted the name Shafto. They moved up in the world in the 15th century when William Shafto married an heiress and moved to Bavington. They continued to flourish despite taking the losing side in the Jacobite rebellion and temporarily forfeiting some property as a result. A number of family members held the office of High Sheriff of Northumberland (a role with a lot of power in those days) and also became MP for
