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Originally from Leicestershire, the Ffont family arrived in Galway in the early 15th century. They were connected with the town of Athenry from King John’s time. The surname has nearly vanished today. Marriages between the Ffonts and Athys further linked them to other key Galway lineages.
In 1498, Martin ‘Fant’ was a city bailiff, and became Mayor in 1520. There were three members of the family who were Mayors throughout the sixteenth century. By the 1640s, Geffrey ‘Font’ served on the council. He lost two large three Storey slated houses in the city during the Cromwellian confiscation. The dwelling house of Dominick Font was also taken. Members of the family do not appear to have invested in landed property outside the city and they declined in influence from Cromwellian times onwards.
The name in Galway, was almost extinct, when James Hardiman wrote in 1820. He claimed that the last survivor was Geoffrey Font who died in 1814 aged 105 years.
