Hawksworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hawksworth

What does the name Hawksworth mean?

The name Hawksworth first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in one of two similarly-named places. The parish of Hawksworth is located eight miles from Newark in Nottinghamshire. The township of Hawksworth is in the parish of Arncliffe in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Hawksworth belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hawksworth family

The surname Hawksworth was first found in Nottinghamshire where Laurence de Houkeswurda was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. Later we found Robert de Hauekeswrth in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1226 and later again, John Hawkesworth was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1395. 1

The family were strongest in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Hawksworth, which "comprises by computation 2000 acres, chiefly the property of F. Hawkesworth Fawkes, Esq., who is Lord of the Manor." 2

The parish dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Hafecesweorthe c. 1030. 3 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the parish was known as Hauocesorde. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Haukesworth, wright; Willelmus de Haukesworth, wright; and Anabilla de Hewkesworth, vidua. 5 In each case, the occupation of the entry appeared after the surname.

William de Hawkesworth (died 1349) was an English medieval college head and university chancellor, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford in 1348.

The Hawkesworth Baronetcy (also Hawksworth and Hoxworth), of Hawksworth, near Guiseley in West Yorkshire, was created in 1678 for Walter Hawkesworth (1660-1683). His son, the second Baronet (died 1735) was High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1721, and was twice president of the Masonic lodge at York. The title became extinct on his death in 1735.

Early History of the Hawksworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawksworth research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1573, 1606, 1715, 1744, 1746, 1749, 1761 and 1773 are included under the topic Early Hawksworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawksworth Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hawksworth has appeared include Hawkesworth, Hawksworth, Hawkeworth and others.

Early Notables of the Hawksworth family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Walter Hawkesworth (c. 1573-1606), an English dramatist, the second son of Walter Hawkesworth of Hawkesworth, Yorkshire, by his wife Isabel, daughter and coheiress of Thomas Colthurst of Edisforth in the same county. 6John Hawkesworth (c.1715-1773), was an English writer. He was commissioned by the Admiralty to edit Captain James Cook's papers relative to his first voyage. He was of humble origin. In his youth he was 'a hired clerk to one Harwood, an attorney in Grocers' Alley...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hawksworth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawksworth migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hawksworth arrived in North America very early:

Hawksworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles and Thomas Hawksworth, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1860

Hawksworth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hawksworth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Adam Hawksworth, who arrived in Nova Sootia in 1774
Elizth Hawksworth, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
George Hawksworth, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
Hannah Hawksworth, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
John Hawksworth, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Hawksworth migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Hawksworth Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Hawksworth, who settled in Barbados in 1680
William Hawksworth and his servants settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Hawksworth (post 1700) +

Derek Marshall Hawksworth (1927-2021), English footballer who played in the position of winger for Sheffield United
Frederick W Hawksworth (1884-1976), British Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway
David Hawksworth, Canadian founder and owner of Hawksworth Restaurant, Vancouver, the youngest chef to be inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame
Jack Hawksworth (b. 1991), British racing driver
David Leslie Hawksworth (b. 1946), British mycologist and lichenologist
Erin Hawksworth (b. 1981), Canadian sports anchor and reporter, sister of Blake Hawksworth
Blake Edward Hawksworth (b. 1983), Canadian Major League Baseball pitcher from North Vancouver, British Columbia
Johnny Hawksworth (b. 1924), British musician and composer
Major Frederick Hawksworth Fawkes (1870-1936), British Conservative Party politician and soldier, Member of Parliament for Pudsey & Otley (1922-1923)
Admiral Sir Wilmot Hawksworth Fawkes GCB KCVO (1846-1926), British Royal Navy officer, Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies