Haw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Haw is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the Old French personal name Haueis and the Old German personal name Hadewidis, which literally means battlewide. The surname Haw may also be derived from residence "at the haw", which refers to a garth, yard, or enclosure. 1
Another source presumes that the name was derived from "dweller by the enclosure", from the Old English "haga" or Old Norse "hagi." "Hawe is clearly a pet-form of some common name, but of what it is difficult to decide. It may be for Old English for 'Hafoc.' " 2
Early Origins of the Haw family
The surname Haw was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where we found Alan del Hawes, Cambridgeshire; John de la Hawe, Huntingdonshire; Peter in le Hawe, Kent; Reginald filius Hawise, Cambridgeshire; Richard Hawyse, Oxfordshire; and Hawis de Stanweye, Norfolk. 1
In the early years, the name was used as both a forename and surname as seen by this entry in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1286: Hawe de Bolinton. And more often than not, the name was used in a singular form as in William and Thomas Hawe who were listed in the Susidy Rolls of 1275 in Worcestershire. 2
Early Norfolk records showed Maurice atte-Hawe, was Rector of Frethorp, Norfolk in 1349 and William atte-Hawe, was Rector of Newton, Norfolk in 1362. 3
In the far south and west, in the parish of Stratton, Cornwall we found this interesting entry for the family: "Towards the conclusion of the fourteenth century, these estates were carried by an heiress to Sir Richard Haweis, whose daughter married, first, Sir John Tresilian, chief justice of the King's Bench, and, then Sir, John Coleshill, to whom Guy de Blanchminster rector of Lansalloes, released in 1393, all right in the manors of Stratton and Binnamy. From this family they were carried by an heiress to a younger branch of the Arundells, which becoming extinct, they were divided among its numerous representatives." 4
Early History of the Haw family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haw research. Another 194 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1327, 1332, 1378, 1379, 1523, 1603, 1604, 1606, 1623, 1627, 1665, 1668 and 1731 are included under the topic Early Haw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Haw Spelling Variations
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Haw has undergone many spelling variations, including Hawes, Hawe, Haugh, Haughes, Hause and others.
Early Notables of the Haw family
Notables of this surname at this time include:
- Stephen Hawes (died 1523), a popular English poet during the Tudor period. His best known work was "The History of Graunde Amour and la Bel Pucel, conteining the knowledge of the Seven Sciences and th...
- Edward Hawes (fl. 1606), was an English poet, was author of 'Trayterous Percyes and Catesbyes Prosopopeia. Written by Edward Hawes, Scholler at Westminster, a Youth of sixteene yeers old,' London, 4to...
- Richard Hawes (1603?-1668), was a Puritan divine, born in Norfolk in 1603 or 1604. He was educated at Ipswich school, and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1623 and M.A...
- Robert Hawes (1665-1731), was author of the ‘History of Framlingham,’ was the eldest son of Henry Hawes of Brandeston, Suffolk, by Mary, daughter and coheiress of John Smith of Pyshalls in the parish...
Haw migration to the United States +
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Haw were among those contributors:
Haw Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Abinadab Haw, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1671 5
Haw Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Matthew Haw, who landed in Virginia in 1701 5
Haw Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Amos Haw, who arrived in Arkansas in 1888 5
Haw 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:
Haw Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mary Haw, aged 39, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arethusa" in 1879
- Harry Haw, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arethusa" in 1879
- James Haw, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arethusa" in 1879
- John Haw, aged 6, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arethusa" in 1879
Contemporary Notables of the name Haw (post 1700) +
- William Haw Jr., American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1872 6
- Brian William Haw (1949-2011), English protester and peace campaigner
Citations +
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. Print
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html