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| Origins Available: |
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The ancestors of the name Cawooit date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Yorkshire, where the name was taken from the town of Cawood in the county's West Riding. The place-name was first recorded as Kawuda in 963 AD and was originally derived from the Old English words ca, meaning jackdaw, and wudu meaning woods, and described a wood where by jackdaws were common.
The surname Cawooit was first found in North Yorkshire, where Cawood is a large village and civil parish in the Selby district. The village dates back to 963 when it was listed as Kawuda. 1 and was given by King Athelstan to the see of York, about 935, in the time of Archbishop Wulstan. Today it is better known as the place where the Cawood sword was found. It is regarded as "one of the finest Viking swords ever discovered" and is nearly 1,000 years old and can be seen at the Yorkshire Museum. This locale is also the home of Cawood Castle, a palace for the Archbishops of York which dates back to 1181. Today Cawood Castle is owned by the Landmark Trust.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cawooit research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1514 and 1572 are included under the topic Early Cawooit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cawooit has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Cawooit have been found, including Cawood, Kawood, Cawoode, Cawod and others.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cawooit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Cawooits to arrive on North American shores: Richard Cawood who arrived in Barbados in 1635; and later moved to St. Christopher; Ann Cawood who settled in Maryland in 1676.