England
IrelandThe present generation of the Hydes family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived at the hide or at the residence close by. Hydes is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.
The surname Hydes was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England. A hide is a feudal portion of land that was measured by the quality of land, not its size. In other words, a hide was so much land as "with its house and toft, right of common, and other appurtenances, was considered to be sufficient for the necessities of a family." [1]
Urmston in Lancashire is a point of interest to the family. "A family of the local name is mentioned as holding lands here as early as the reign of King John. About the time of Henry IV, Raff Hyde married the heiress of Adam Urmston, and thus obtained the estate." [2]
"Here [in Woodford, Wiltshire] was a palace of the bishops of Salisbury, but no traces of it are now visible. Charles II, after the battle of Worcester, was concealed in Heale House, in the parish, at that time the residence of the Hyde family." [2]
Hyde in Cheshire was another ancient family seat. "So early as the reign of John, a part of the manor of Hyde was held by a family of the same name, of which the great Lord Chancellor Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, was a descendant; the remaining portion was acquired by them in the reign of Edward III." [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hydes research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1609, 1674, 1637, 1671, 1617, 1667, 1638, 1709, 1641, 1711, 1609, 1674, 1631, 1627, 1631, 1595, 1665, 1641, 1711, 1667, 1712, 1712, 1713 and are included under the topic Early Hydes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Hydes include Hyde, Hide and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Anne Hyde (1637-1671), Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II and VII); Frances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon (1617-1667), an English peeress, the mother-in-law of James II of England; Henry Hyde 2nd Earl of Clarendon PC (1638-1709), an English aristocrat and politician; Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester KG PC (1641-1711), an English statesman and writer; Edward...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hydes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hydes family to IrelandSome of the Hydes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hydes migration to the United States +Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Hydes were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
