Hackwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Hackwood dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Sussex where the name literally means "the wood frequented by hawks." 1

Early Origins of the Hackwood family

The surname Hackwood was first found in Sussex where the family name was first referenced in the year 1230 when John Hackwude held estates in that county. Over one hundred years later, John de Haukwode was listed in the Feet of Fines of 1343 and John de Hawkwod was listed in the Assize Rolls of Essex in 1351. 2

Sir John Hawkwood (c. 1320-1394) was an English mercenary or condottiere active in 14th century Italy. He was the "second son of Gilbert de Hawkwood of Hedingham Sibil, Hinckford, Essex, a tanner, was born in that place early in the fourteenth century. Gilbert de Hawkwood was a man of substance and gentle blood, the family having held land at Hedingham Sibil since the reign of John. He is also said to have been impressed for the French wars, and to have served as an archer in the army of Edward III." 3

Early History of the Hackwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hackwood research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1394, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Hackwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hackwood Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hackwood have been found, including Hackwood, Hakewood, Hawkwood, Haykwood, Hakwood, Ackwood, Akwood, Hackward and many more.

Early Notables of the Hackwood family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Hackwood of Sussex

Hackwood migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Hackwood Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mary Hackwood, who settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Hackwood (post 1700) +

The Venerable Paul Colin Hackwood, English priest in the Church of England, Archdeacon of Loughborough (2005–2009)
Susan Hackwood Ph.D., Professor Electrical Engineering, University of California, Riverside
Ray Hackwood, Australian Gold Coast City Councillor

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies