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Origins Available: |
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The ancestors of the bearers of the Northwoyd family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in or near "the north wood," as in the northernmost wood within a particular jurisdiction; or in one of the several places named Norwood or Northwood found throughout England. 1 Another source notes the name was derived from the words "north" + "wood." 2.
The surname Northwoyd was first found in Devon, where Painot de Norwude was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. A few years later, Pipe Rolls for Kent include Alexander de Norwuda in 1190 and Geoffrey Northwud was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Norfolk in 1205. 3
Some of the family were found in the parish of Sittingbourne in Kent where: "It is an incident worthy of notice in the ancient history of this town, that Henry V. was entertained at the Red Lion here, by John Northwood, a gentleman resident in the vicinity, at the expense of nine shillings and ninepence." 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family: Mauger de Northwode, Bedfordshire; and William de Northwode, Suffolk and later, the Yorkshirew Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Tillot de Northwode; and Johannes Norwode. 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Northwoyd research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1592, 1671, 1675, 1780 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Northwoyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Northwoyd include Norwood, Northwood, Norwold, Narwold and others.
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Northwoyd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Northwoyd or a variant listed above: Francis Norwood, who arrived in Boston in 1630; Richard Norwood settled in Virginia in 1643; Mary Norwood settled in Montserrat in 1685; Richard Norwood settled in Georgia in 1733..