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Hardcastle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Hardcastle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hardcastle family

The surname Hardcastle was first found in Yorkshire, but two noted authorities note that the name is probably derived from a geographical locality as in 'of Harden Castle.' "Must be, I think, a contraction of Harden Castle, the ancient residence of the Scotts of Harden, and a fine specimen to this day of a border fortress, in Roxburghshire." [1]

Bardsley agrees and adds "this is quite possible. It is found in Northumberland and Durham. I am strongly inclined to this view, but evidence is lacking, so far as my reading goes." [2]

Entries for the family are quite late. In the aforementioned Yorkshire, we found John Hardcastle registered there in the Subsidy Rolls of 1621 and later William Hardcastell in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1657. [3] Reaney claims the name is from Hardcastle in Bewerley in the West Riding of Yorkshire but we cannot confirm this claim. [3]

Early History of the Hardcastle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hardcastle research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1655, 1662, 1665, 1666, 1670 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Hardcastle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardcastle Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Hardcastle occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Hardcastle, Harcastle, Hardcastell and others.

Early Notables of the Hardcastle family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Thomas Hardcastle (d. 1678?), ejected minister, born at Berwick-upon-Holm, where he received his education under Jackson, a learned divine. He graduated B.A. at St. John's College in 1655. In 1662 he...

Hardcastle Ranking

In the United States, the name Hardcastle is the 7,753^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]

Hardcastle migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Hardcastle, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Hardcastle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Hardcastle, who landed in Maryland in 1740 [5]
Samuel and Elizabeth Hardcastle, who arrived in Maryland in 1774

Hardcastle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Capt. Hardcastle, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
William Hardcastle, aged 50, who landed in New York in 1862 [5]

Hardcastle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hardcastle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Joseph Hardcastle U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [6]

Hardcastle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hardcastle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Hardcastle who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [7]

Hardcastle 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:

Hardcastle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Hardcastle, (b. 1818), aged 40, British labourer and mechanic travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 [8]
Mrs. Caroline Hardcastle, (b. 1825), aged 33, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 [8]
Mr. John Hardcastle, (b. 1848), aged 10, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 [8]
Mr. Thomas Hardcastle, (b. 1849), aged 9, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 [8]
Miss Elizabeth Hardcastle, (b. 1851), aged 7, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 [8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hardcastle (post 1700) +

W. A. C. Hardcastle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1888 [9]
Tina Hardcastle, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Texas, 1996 [9]
Richard L. Hardcastle, American Republican politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 68th District; Elected 1998, 2000, 2002; Elected unopposed 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010 [9]
R. E. Hardcastle, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska territorial House of Representatives 1st District, 1943-44 [9]
E. L. F. Hardcastle, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1860 [9]
Martin Hardcastle Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Astrophysics Research at the University of Hertfordshire
Paul Hardcastle (b. 1957), English composer and musician specializing in the synthesizer
Joseph Hardcastle (1752-1818), English politician, one of the founders of the London Missionary Society
Edgar Richard "Hardy" Hardcastle (1900-1995), English theoretician of Marxist economics
Diana Hardcastle Wilkinson (b. 1955), British actress, known for her roles in Midsomer Murders, Inspector Lynley and Taggart
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Hardcastle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deus mihi munimen
Motto Translation: God is my fortress.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html