The name Harwarden was brought to
England in the wave of migration that followed the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Harwarden family lived in
Flintshire,
Wales at Hawarden.
Early Origins of the Harwarden family
The surname Harwarden was first found in
Flintshire,
Wales at Hawarden, a small village near the border of
Cheshire and
Wales. Legend has it that in the Church a statue of the Virgin Mary fell in 946, killing the wife of the Governor of the Castle. The statue was put on trial and condemned to death by drowning. The statue floated up the River Dee and washed up at Chester. Hawarden Castle, built much later, after the Hawardens had left, was occupied during the 19th century by William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England.
Early History of the Harwarden family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harwarden research.
Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1574, 1662 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Harwarden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Harwarden Spelling Variations
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to
England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Hawarden, Hawardens, Hawerden, Harweden, Harveden, Harvedon and many more.
Early Notables of the Harwarden family (pre 1700)
Another 19 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harwarden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Harwarden family to the New World and Oceana
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Harwarden or a variant listed above: Robert Harveden who landed in North America in 1705.