The Hards name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Upper Hardres or Lower Hardres, near Canterbury referred to as Hardres. Both parishes dates back to Saxon times where they were collectively known as Haredum in 785. [1] By the Domesday Book of 1086, the parishes were known as Hardes. [2] The place names literally mean "place at the woods," from the Old English "harad." [1]
The surname Hards was first found in Kent, where family members were Lords of the manor Lyminge. The earliest recorded ancestor is Robert de Hardres, who lived during the reigns of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror. He held his lands from the Archbishop of Canterbury, which consisted of a church, a mill, and a fishery of forty eels, as recorded in the Domesday Book. [2]
"There are two parishes in that county so called, and Hardres Court was the family seat down to the extinction of the baronetcy in 1764. The family derived from Ardres in Picardy and conferred their name upon the Kentish localities-a circumstance of rare but not of unique occurrence. "[3]
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family, both in Kent: Gunnora de Hardres; and Robert de Hardres. [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hards research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1642, 1606, 1669, 1635, 1673, 1660, 1688, 1686, 1736, 1718, 1764, 1676, 1610, 1681, 1664 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Hards History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Hards has undergone many spelling variations, including Hardress, Hardres, Hardresse, Hardrese, Harders and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Sir Richard Hadres of Kent, Baronet, who was buried in London in 1676; and Sir Thomas Hardres (1610-1681), an English barrister and politician, Member of Parliament for Canterbury, Kent (1664), King's Serjeant (1679). He was...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hards Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.