Haukesfert is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in
England with the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Haukesfert family lived at Axford, in the county of
Wiltshire. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English words
aesc and
ford, meaning
ash tree and
ford. Early Origins of the Haukesfert family
The surname Haukesfert was first found in
Wiltshire at Axford, a hamlet in the Kennet Valley which dates back to 1184 when it was listed as Axeford. The place name literally means "ford by the ash-trees," having derived from the Old English words "aesc" + "ford."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) The family held a
family seat at Ramsbury from ancient times. Today, Ramsbury is a village and civil parish that includes the hamlet Axford. It was originally spelt Ramesberrie. Ramsbury at the time of the
Domesday Book was one of the larger holdings in the county of
Wiltshire and consisted of 10 Mills. It was held by the Bishop of Salisbury. It also included Axford's Farm, from which the Axford family name is conjecturally descended. Axford's Farm is noted for its water mill. Axford is also a village in
Hampshire, part of the civil parish of Nutley.
Early History of the Haukesfert family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haukesfert research.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 121 and 1216 are included under the topic Early Haukesfert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Haukesfert Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few
hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Haukesfert are characterized by many
spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Haukesfert include Axford, Acksford, Ackford, Hackford, Hacksford, Hawksford, Hawkford, Hawkesford and many more.
Early Notables of the Haukesfert family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Haukesfert Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Haukesfert family to the New World and Oceana
Faced with the chaos present in
England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as
Australia and
Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Haukesfert, or a variant listed above: Ephraim Axford who settled in Virginia in 1670; Richard Axford who landed in Maryland in 1660; William Hawksford settled in Maryland in 1775.