EnglandThe surname Honywood was first found in Kent at "Henewood, near Postling where the ancestors of this family resided as early as the reign of Henry III." [1] The family name was first referenced in the 12th century when they held a family seat at Honywood, Elmsted, and Lenham.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Honywood research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1106, 1548, 1455, 1487, 1604, 1619, 1625, 1632, 1743, 1527, 1620, 1527, 1543, 1586, 1666, 1654, 1656, 1632, 1601, 1686, 1659, 1677, 1752, 1597, 1681 and 1597 are included under the topic Early Honywood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Honywood 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. 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. The variations of the name Honywood include: Honeywood, Honiwood, Huniwood, Honywood, Hunywood and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Mary Honywood (1527-1620), daughter and coheiress of Robert Waters, Esquire, of Lenham, Kent, was born at that place in 1527. "In 1543, being then in her sixteenth year, she married Robert Honywood, Esquire, of Charing, and afterwards of Marks Hall, Essex, by whom she had sixteen children. Mrs. Honywood was chiefly celebrated for her longevity, and for the unprecedentedly large number of lineal descendants whom she lived to see. By her sixteen children she had 114 grandchildren, 228 great-grandchildren, and nine great-great-grandchildren, 367 in all. " [2]
Sir Thomas Honeywood (1586-1666), an English politician who sat...
Another 110 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Honywood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Honywood migration to the United States +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 Honywood or a variant listed above:
