Houldsworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Houldsworth dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the historic county of Yorkshire, where they held a manor at Holdsworth. Actually, "there are two Holdsworths in the West Riding [of Yorkshire]." 1 The family is "from either Holdsworth in Eckington or Holdsworth in Ovenden." 2 Today we cannot locate the place in Eckington, but Holdsworth House is in Ovenden, just outside of Halifax. Holdsworth House was built c. 1598, but was not held by the family.

Early Origins of the Houldsworth family

The surname Houldsworth was first found in Yorkshire where John de Haldeworth, was the first listed of the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The family had many name changes "from Haldeworth or Haldsworth in the 13th century, to Holdsworth or Houldsworth in the 19th [century]." 3

As one might suspect the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 including some of the early spellings: Johannes Haldeworthe, of Leathley; Ricardus de Haldeworthe, of Southowrara; and Johannes de Haleworth, sittor. All held land there at that time. 3

"Holsworthy, [Devon has a] market which is one of great antiquity ; and the chief fair was recorded in the time of Edward I. as having belonged to the ancestors of William Martyn from time immemorial." 4

Early History of the Houldsworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Houldsworth research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1374, 1495, 1558, 1583, 1590, 1593, 1595, 1596, 1602, 1613, 1649, 1684 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Houldsworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houldsworth Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Houldsworth have been found, including Holdsworth, Holesworth, Houlsworth, Holdworth, Houldworth and many more.

Early Notables of the Houldsworth family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Holdsworth (1590-1649), English theologian, the youngest son of the Reverend Richard Holdsworth, vicar of Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he was born in 1590. "His father died in 1596, leaving his child to the care of a son-in-law, the Rev. William Pearson or Pierson, who was curate and lecturer in the parish church of Newcastle." 5Daniel Halsworth or Holdsworth (1558?-1595?)...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Houldsworth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houldsworth migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Houldsworth, or a variant listed above:

Houldsworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Houldsworth, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 6

Houldsworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Scholas Houldsworth, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856
Emily Houldsworth, aged 27, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1897

Houldsworth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Emma Houldsworth, aged 35, who settled in America from Bradford, England, in 1906
Ambrose Houldsworth, aged 58, who immigrated to America from Salford, England, in 1907
Lewis Henry Houldsworth, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Beeston, England, in 1909
Samuel Houldsworth, aged 24, who immigrated to America from Nottingham, England, in 1911
Louis Henry Houldsworth, aged 33, who landed in America from Sudbury, England, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Houldsworth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Houldsworth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Houldsworth, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Houldsworth (post 1700) +

Sir William Henry Houldsworth (1834-1917), 1st Baronet, an English mill-owner, Conservative MP for Manchester North West (1883 to 1906)
Freddie Charlton Houldsworth (1911-1994), English footballer
Thomas Houldsworth (1771-1852), English politician
Sir Richard Thomas Reginald Houldsworth (b. 1947), 5th Baronet
Sir Reginald Douglas Henry Houldsworth (1903-1989), 4th Baronet
Sir William Thomas Reginald Houldsworth (1874-1960), 3rd Baronet
Sir Henry Hamilton Houldsworth (1867-1947), 2nd Baronet
Margaret Marshall Houldsworth (1839-1909), British campaigner for women's education and philanthropist

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine