Heslewoyd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Heslewoyd surname 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 Heslewoyd family

The surname Heslewoyd 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 Heslewoyd family

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

Heslewoyd Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Heslewoyd are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Heslewoyd include: Haslewood, Haselwood, Hazlewood, Hazelwood and others.

Early Notables of the Heslewoyd 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 Heslewoyd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heslewoyd family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Heslewoyd or a variant listed above: 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..

Citations +

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