Show ContentsHiselwod History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hiselwod name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from 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 Hiselwod family

The surname Hiselwod 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 Hiselwod family

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

Hiselwod Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hiselwod has undergone many spelling variations, including Haslewood, Haselwood, Hazlewood, Hazelwood and others.

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

Migration of the Hiselwod family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hiselwod were among those contributors: 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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