Show ContentsHallowes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Hallowes family

The surname Hallowes was first found in Cambridge where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1276 when William in le Hallowe was recorded in the Rotuli Hundredorum at have estates in that shire.

Early History of the Hallowes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallowes research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1446, 1455, 1487, 1582, 1640, 1653 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Hallowes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallowes Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hallowes family name include Hallow, Hallows, Hallowes, Hallas and others.

Early Notables of the Hallowes family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Hallowes of Dronfield


United States Hallowes migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hallowes surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Hallowes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Hallowes, (Hollis, Hallis), (1613 - 1657) who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove 1
  • Robert Hallowes, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 1
  • Robert Hallowes who settled in Virginia between 1640 and 1662
  • William Hallowes, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 1
  • Thomas Hallowes, who landed in Virginia in 1663 1
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hallowes (post 1700) +

  • Odette Samson Hallowes GC, MBE, (1912-1995), also known as Odette Sansom and Odette Churchill, French-born, the most famous British agent in France during WWII, the first woman to be awarded both the George Cross on 20 August 1946
  • Jim Hallowes, American award-winning creative director and art director
  • Kenneth Bernard "Ken" Hallowes (1913-1995), English Anglican bishop in South Africa in the last third of the 20th Century
  • Rupert Price Hallowes VC, MC (1881-1915), British recipient of the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during the fighting at Hooge between 25th September and 1st October, 1915
  • Matthew Hallowes (b. 1970), South African former field hockey player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics
  • Geoffrey MacLeod Hallowes (1918-2006), British officer of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War, third husband of heroine Odette Sansom (Hallowes)
  • Harry Hallowes (1936-2017), known as Harry the Hermit, an Irishman who became famous for living on Hampstead Heath, inspiration for the romantic comedy Hampstead in 2017
  • Veda Hallowes, British sculptor


  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)


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