Astwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Astwood comes from when the family resided in the county of Salop where they were found since the early Middle Ages. Their name means at the wood, from atte wood. The original bearer, therefore, would have lived at the edge of a wood. 1 2

Early Origins of the Astwood family

The surname Astwood was first found in Somerset where Thomas Attewode was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1243. 3

By the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the spellings and entries were numerous: Geoffrey Ate Wode, Huntingdonshire; Matheus Atewode, Cambridgeshire; Agnes Attewode, Oxfordshire; and Gilbert atte Wode, Sussex. 4

In Norfolk, we found: John Attewode, 1391; and William Attewood, 1439. 5 The next entry was Robert Atwode who was listed in Oxfordshire in 1457. 3

"Its commonest medieval spelling is Atte-Wode, afterwards softened to A'Wood. Almost every considerable wood surnamed a family, and hence the commonness of the appellation, amounting in the Lond. Direct, in its various forms to more than 300 traders. This surname is found so early as Domesday in the form of De Silva. Suffolk. " 2

"The Attwoods belong to a very ancient Worcestershire family of position. In the reign of Richard III. John Attwood, Esq., was the principal tenant of Northwick. Anthony Attwood was buried in Claines church in 1611." 6

In the New World, 'Atwood has ramified strongly in Boston and the district. Philip Atwood sailed for New England in the Suzan and Ellin in 1625.' 7

Early History of the Astwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Astwood research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1426, 1454, 1600, 1643, 1650, 1701, 1712, 1767, 1783, 1787 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Astwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Astwood Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Astwood include Attwood, Atwood, Attewood, Atwode, Athwood and many more.

Early Notables of the Astwood family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Attwood, English Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University (1426-1454.)Peter Atwood (1643-1712), was an English Dominican friar from Warwickshire; he was several times cast into prison, and later condemned to death, but was reprieved by Charles II. 8 William Atwood (c.1650-1712), was an English lawyer, Chief Justice of New York in 1701.Thomas Attwood, the son of a trumpeter, viola-player, and coal-merchant, was born in 1767. At nine years of age he became a chorister in the Chapel Royal, where he had for his masters successively...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Astwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Astwood migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Astwood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Astwood, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 9
John Astwood, aged 26, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 9
James Astwood, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1639 9

Astwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wm A. Astwood, aged 29, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Brilliant" in 1833 10
E. Astwood, aged 28, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Brilliant" in 1833 10
Sarah Astwood, aged 20, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Virginia" in 1868 10
Ephriam Astwood, aged 22, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Manhattan" in 1869 10
Elizabeth Astwood, aged 65, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "San Francisco" in 1871 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Astwood (post 1700) +

Dr. Edwin Bennett Astwood (1909-1976), Bermudian-American physiologist and endocrinologist, elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1949
Henry C. C. Astwood, American politician, U.S. Consul in Santo Domingo, 1884 11
Norma Cox Astwood OBE, Lady Blackman, Bermudian clinical psychologist, the first woman to serve as vice president of the Senate of Bermuda
Stephen Astwood (b. 1981), retired Bermudian footballer who played from 2001 to 2014 including from 2000 to 2008 for the Bermuda National Team
Cynthia Astwood (b. 1946), British diplomat, acting Governor of the Turks and Caicos from 1986 until 16 December 2002

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Hotten, John Camden (ed), The original lists of persons of quality; emigrants; religious exiles; political rebels; serving men sold for a term of years; apprentices; children stolen; maidens pressed; and others who went from Great Britain to the American plantations 1600-1700.New York: J. W. Bouton, 1874, Digital
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html