Show ContentsHeaslewood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Heaslewood first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Hazelwood, a township, in the parish of Duffield, union of Belper, hundred of Appletree in Derbyshire. 1 This place name dates back to 1306 when it was known as Haselwode and literally meant "hazel wood." 2

Hazlewood is also a district in the parish of Tadcaster, Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "Hazlewood Hall, a fine old mansion, is pleasantly seated on a lofty eminence, commanding very extensive views; and near it is a Roman Catholic chapel with two painted windows, and having several handsome monuments to the Vavasours." 1

Early Origins of the Heaslewood family

The surname Heaslewood was first found in Yorkshire where Ernald de Heselwude was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1191. Years later, John Haselwod was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Ricardus de Hesilwode; Robertus de Heselwode; and John Hesilwode as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Heaslewood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heaslewood research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1380 and 1553 are included under the topic Early Heaslewood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heaslewood Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Heaslewood has appeared include Haslewood, Haselwood, Hazlewood, Hazelwood and others.

Early Notables of the Heaslewood family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Haselwood (fl. 1380), English historian, a canon regular at the monastery of Leeds in Kent, where he was employed as a schoolmaster. "Bale, on the authority of William Botoner or William of Worcester, asserts that he lived about 1320, but Weever in his ‘Funerall Monuments’ quotes from Haselwood...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heaslewood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heaslewood family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Heaslewood arrived in North America very early: Elizabeth Haslewood settled in New England in 1672; Henry and Jane Haslewood settled in New England in 1652; Walter Haslewood settled in Virginia in 1624..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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