Show ContentsMackworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Mackworth is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Mackworth family lived in Mackworth, a town in Derbyshire. The place name was rendered Macheuorde in the Domesday Book, a census taken by William the Conqueror twenty years after his conquest of England to determine the extent and value of his holdings for taxation purposes in 1086. It is a compound of the Old English personal name Macca and the suffix worth, which meant enclosure, or farm. Therefore the place name translates as "Macca's farm." It is from this name that the family name is derived.

Early Origins of the Mackworth family

The surname Mackworth was first found in Derbyshire where this Gaelic sounding name held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Mackworth at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 A.D. In 1086 the manor was held by Earl Hugh of Mackworth and there is still evidence of the ruined castle.

Early History of the Mackworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mackworth research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1619 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Mackworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mackworth Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled McWorth, MacWorth, Mackworth, Worth, Macwirth, McWirth, MacWirth, MacWurth, McWurth, McWyrth and many more.

Early Notables of the Mackworth family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Thomas Mackworth of Mackworth

Ireland Migration of the Mackworth family to Ireland

Some of the Mackworth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Mackworth migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Mackworth or a variant listed above:

Mackworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Arthur Mackworth, who arrived in Portland Maine in 1630
  • Arthur Mackworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 [1]
  • Charles Mackworth, who landed in Virginia in 1659 [1]
  • Fran Mackworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 [1]
  • John Mackworth, who landed in Virginia in 1664 [1]

New Zealand Mackworth 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:

Mackworth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W. A. Mackworth, European settler originally settled on Auckland Islands, transported aboard the ship "Earl of Hardwicke" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1852 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Mackworth (post 1700) +

  • Alan Mackworth, Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia
  • Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802-1839), English poet, third son of William Mackworth Praed, of Bitton House, Teignmouth, Devonshire
  • Major Herbert Mackworth Clogstoun (1820-1862), recipient of the Victoria Cross

RMS Lusitania
  • Lady Margaret Haig Mackworth, Welsh 1st Class Passenger from Cardiff, Wales, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [3]


  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. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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