Contents [hide]

Hawken History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Hawken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Hawken originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived from the Old English personal name Hafoc, which continued to be in use until the 13th century. The surname Hawken was originally derived from the form Havec and the addition of the diminutive suffix -in, which forms Havek-in. The name Hawken has also been popularly regarded as a pet form of the personal name Henry.

Early Origins of the Hawken family

The surname Hawken was first found in Kent at Hawkinge or Hackynge, a parish in the union of Elham, hundred of Folkestone which dates back to at least 1204 when it was listed as Hauekinge and literally meant "place frequented by hawks" or "place of a man called Hafoc", derived from the Old English personal name "hafac" + ing. 1

The present town and civil parish is almost 1 mile (1.3km) east of the original village and is best known as the home of RAF Hawkinge, the closest operational airfield to France and was used extensively during the Battle of Britain in World War II. "Part of the lands and tithes [of East Wickham, Kent] were given by the famous admiral, Sir John Hawkins, in the reign of Elizabeth, to the hospital for distressed mariners founded by him at Chatham, to which they still belong." 2

The family is from " the manor of Hawkinge, Kent, held by Walter Hawkin, 1326 (Parliamentary Writs). The family had previously borne the name of Flegg, for William de Flegg, 13th cent., held a fief in Hawking (Testa de Neville). The family had been seated at Flegg, Norfolk, t. Henry II. " 3

"The Hawkinses of The Gaer, co. Monmouth, and those of Cantlowes, co. Middlesex, claim a local origin from the parish of Hawking, near Folkestone, in Kent, of which Osbert de Hawking was possessor temp. Henry II. The family removed to Nash Court in the parish of Boughtonunder-Bleane in the same county, and there remained until the year 1800. " 4

We must now move to the south of England to Devon and explore "William Hawkins, the first prominent member of the greatest family of merchant seamen and heroes England has known. For his ' skill in sea causes ' this William Hawkins the elder (c. 1532-1595) was much esteemed by Henry VIII., and he was the first Englishman who sailed a ship into the Southern Seas. He had two worthy sons. The first, another William Hawkins, was the most influential resident of Elizabethan Plymouth a merchant and a sailor, the holder of a commission under the Prince of Conde, and, like the rest of his kinsfolk, quite as ready to fight as to trade. His son, a third William, was the founder of the East India Company's first trading-house at Surat, and an ambassador to the Great Mogul at Agra. The most famous of the family was the second son of Henry VIII.'s favourite captain the renowned Sir John Hawkins ; the first Englishman to take a ship into the Bay of Mexico ; the early friend of his relative, the redoubtable Sir Francis Drake." 5

Early History of the Hawken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawken research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1490, 1514, 1532, 1534, 1553, 1554, 1562, 1571, 1575, 1588, 1589, 1595, 1611, 1622, 1628, 1635, 1640, 1646, 1659, 1662, 1681, 1719, 1729 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hawken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawken 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 Hawken has appeared include Hawkins, Hawkin, Haykins, Haykin and others.

Early Notables of the Hawken family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Hawkins or Hawkyns (1532-1595), English admiral, second son of William Hawkyns (d. 1553), leader of the Sea Dogs, knighted after he commanded the "Victory" in the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) 6His only son, Sir Richard Hawkins or Hawkyns (1562?-1622), was a British Naval Commander and was brought up almost from infancy among ships and seamen, whether at Plymouth or Deptford. 6William Hawkins of Hawkyns (d. 1554?), was a sea-captain and merchant, son of John Hawkyns of Tavistock (d. before 1490.) 6William Hawkins or Hawkyns (d. 1589), was a sea-captain and merchant...
Another 168 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hawken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hawken family to Ireland

Some of the Hawken family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawken 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 Hawken arrived in North America very early:

Hawken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Hawken, (b. 1867), aged 24, Cornish engineer departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "City of Chicago" arriving in Montana, USA on 4 May 1891 7
Mr. Joseph Hawken, (b. 1871), aged 22, Cornish engineer travelling aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th May 1893 en route to Pennsylvania, USA 8
Mr. Stephen Hawken, (b. 1864), aged 29, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th May 1893 en route to Pennsylvania, USA 8
Mr. William Hawken, (b. 1877), aged 19, Cornish miner from Padstow, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 13th May 1896 en route to the United States 8

Hawken Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. William Hawken, (b. 1877), aged 23, Cornish miner from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Ivernia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th April 1900 en route to Ishpeming, Michigan, USA 8
Mr. William H. Hawken, (b. 1882), aged 22, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 19th June 1904 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 8

Hawken migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hawken Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Jacob Hawken, (b. 1820), aged 19 born in St. Columb, Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 15th October 1839, sentenced for 15 years for stealing bullocks, transported aboard the ship "Lord Lyndoch" in 1840 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 9
Mr. Jacob Hawken, (b. 1820), aged 19, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 13th October 1839, sentenced for 15 years for stealing 6 bullocks from William and George Hicks of St. Columb, transported aboard the ship "Lord Lyndoch" on 7th September 1840 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 10
Miss Phillippa Hawken, (b. 1834), aged 21, Cornish domestic servant departing from Plymouth on 31st January 1855 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" arriving in Geelong, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 1st June 1855 11
Henry Hawken, aged 24, a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 12
John Hawken, aged 30, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawken migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hawken Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Hawken, British settler travelling from Plymouth with family aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 13
S. Hawken, British settler travelling from Plymouth with family aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 13
Mr. Gilbert Hawken, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 13
Mr. William Hawken, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 13
Miss Sarah Hawken, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hawken (post 1700) +

Aidan Hawken (b. 1975), American singer-songwriter and musician
Paul Hawken (b. 1946), American environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author
Jacob and Samuel Hawken, American gunsmiths and traders in St. Louis, Missouri from 1825 to 1855, famous for designing the "plains rifle" named the Hawken rifle
Kathy Hawken (b. 1947), American Republican politician, Member of North Dakota State Legislature; Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 2004 14
Dominic J. Hawken (b. 1967), British keyboard player and session musician, active in the 1990s
Oswald James Hawken (1870-1957), New Zealand Reform Party Member of Parliament
Roger William Hercules Hawken (1878-1947), Australian engineer, first lecturer in Civil Engineering, and later professor at the University of Queensland
John Christopher Hawken (b. 1940), British keyboard player
Walter Hawken Tregellas (1831-1894), Cornish miscellaneous writer, born at Truro, the eldest son of John Tabois Tregellas (1792–1863), merchant at Truro, purser of Cornish mines, and author of many stories written in the local dialect of the county

The Hawken Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Toujours pret
Motto Translation: Always ready.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
South Australian Register Wednesday 30th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Banks 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbanks1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html