The generations and branches of the Hathway family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Hathway comes from the Old German personal names Hathuwic or Hadewic, or from the Old English personal name Heathuwig, which means war-warrior. [1]
The surname Hathway was first found in Herefordshire where Hadeuui was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. [2] For the next hundred years or so, only surnames were used so it is not surprising to see the next entry, that of Hathewi in the Pipe Rolls of Worcester in 1175. [1]
Again in Herefordshire, William Hatewi, Hadewi, Hathewy were listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1178 and 1181. Nigel Haðewi was found in the Gloucestershire Pipe Rolls of 1208 and Thomas Hatheweye was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1380. [1]
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Willelmus de Haythewy. [3]
Moving further to the north in Scotland, "Alexander Hathwy appears as a witness in Linlithgow in 1444 and 1465, and Robert Hadowy was burgess of Lychtcow (Linlithgow), 1460." [4]
Anne Hathaway (1556-1623), the wife of William Shakespeare is thought to have been born in Shottery, a village just to the west of Stratford-upon-Avon where her father, Richard Hathaway, a yeoman farmer died in September 1581.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hathway research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1582, 1633, 1734, 1621, 1502, 1503, 1600, 1607, 1622, 1626, 1646, 1665, 1656, 1702, 1700, 1701, 1702 and 1602 are included under the topic Early Hathway 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 Hathway include Hathaway, Hatheway, Hathoway, Hathway and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Richard Hathaway (fl. 1702), an English impostor, a blacksmith's apprentice of Southwark. "In February 1700 he gave out that he was bewitched by an old woman named Sarah Morduck, the wife of a waterman, and that, as an effect of her sorcery, he vomited nails and pins, was unable to eat, speak, or open his eyes, and was otherwise strangely affected. His only remedy was to scratch Morduck until she bled, when he recovered for a time. He prepared a narrative of his case, but the printer to whom he took the copy...
Another 248 words (18 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hathway 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 Hathway or a variant listed above: