Show ContentsHenwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The present generation of the Henwood family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the tithing of Henwood, which is in the parish of Cumnor in Berkshire. The surname Henwood 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 Henwood family

The surname Henwood was first found in Berkshire, at Henwood. Henwood is also a hamlet in the civil parish of Linkinhorne in east Cornwall.

Early History of the Henwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henwood research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1300 are included under the topic Early Henwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Henwood Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Henwood include Henwood, Enwood and others.

Early Notables of the Henwood family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Thomas Henwood of Berkshire


United States Henwood migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Henwood were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Henwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Henwood, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1808 [1]
  • Abraham Henwood, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1814
  • Miss Mary Henwood, (b. 1815), aged 25, Cornish settler departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 [2]
  • Mr. Richard Henwood, (b. 1804), aged 44, Cornish surveyor departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Cornwall" arriving in the United States on 18th October 1848 [2]
  • Mr. Richard Henwood, (b. 1829), aged 60, Cornish mine agent departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving in New York, USA on 25 February 1889 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Henwood Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Francis Henwood, (b. 1880), aged 20, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th August 1900 en route to Denver, Colorado, USA [3]
  • Mr. Herbert Henwood, (b. 1883), aged 17, Cornish butcher from Dobwalls, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 6th September 1900 en route to Sargeant Bluff, Iowa, USA [3]
  • Mr. William Henwood, (b. 1879), aged 21, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Germanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 3rd March 1900 en route to Spearfish, South Dakota, USA [3]

Australia Henwood migration to Australia +

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

Henwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Nahami Henwood, (b. 1817), aged 20, Cornish farm overseer, from St. John, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Alfred" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st December 1837 [4]
  • Mr. William Henwood, (b. 1811), aged 27, Cornish malster, brewer and agriculturist, from Liskeard, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Roxburgh Castle" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 26th May 1839 [4]
  • Mrs. Mary Ann Henwood, (b. 1815), aged 23, Cornish settler, from Duloe, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Roxburgh Castle" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 26th May 1839 [4]
  • Mr. William Henwood, (b. 1812), aged 27, Cornish maltster from Liskeard, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Roxburgh Castle" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 26th May 1839 [5]
  • Mrs. Mary Anne Henwood, (b. 1816), aged 23, Cornish settler from Duloe, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Roxburgh Castle" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 26th May 1839 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Henwood 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:

Henwood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henwood, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand in 1855 [6]
  • Mrs. Henwood, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK with son aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in New Plymouth, North Island, New Zealand in 1855 [6]
  • Miss Alice Henwood, (b. 1856), aged Infant, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 [6]
  • Mrs. Anne Henwood, (b. 1816), aged 40, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 [6]
  • Mr. James Henwood, (b. 1818), aged 38, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Henwood 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]
Henwood Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas and Anne Henwood who settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Henwood (post 1700) +

  • Doug Henwood (b. 1952), American journalist, economic analyst, and financial trader, known for his newsletter, Left Business Observer
  • Berryman Henwood, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1916 [8]
  • William Jory Henwood (1805-1875), English mineralogist, born at Perron Wharf, Cornwall, 16 Jan. 1805 who came of an old Cornish family settled at Levalsa in St. Ewe; but his grandfather having lost considerably in the Huel Mexico, the first Cornish silver mine [9]
  • Megan Henwood (b. 1987), English singer-songwriter
  • Karen Henwood, British social psychologist and Professor of Social Sciences at Cardiff University
  • Craig Henwood (b. 1978), Australian gold medalist sport shooter at the 2005 Oceanian Shooting Championships
  • Wayne "Moose" Henwood (b. 1962), former Australian rules footballer
  • Simon Henwood (b. 1965), British artist, author, film director, and music video director
  • Casey Henwood (b. 1980), New Zealand field hockey player at the 2008 Summer Olympics
  • Dai Henwood (b. 1978), New Zealand comedian


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. 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
  3. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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