Cokayne's "Complete Peerage" (Derby, pp. 190-191). Sire de Ferriers and Chambrais. These two localities, located on the Charantonne, were in the chief iron producing district of Normandy. The iron workers were under the jurisdiction of six "barons fossiers". As this family apparently
had the most important or most ancient forges, it was styled "premier barons fossiers". [Thus the background for the surname adopted by this family - Ferriers]. He was a Domesday commissioner and held some 210 lordships or manors at the time of that survey. More than half of them were in Derbyshire, but the caput of his honor was at Tutbury in Staffordshire.