Lockword History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Lockword is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the place called Lockwood that was in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Lockword is a habitation name that was originally derived from the Old English words loca and wudu, meaning enclosure and wood. 1 Therefore the original bearers of the surname lived in or near a forest in Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Lockword family

The surname Lockword was first found in West Yorkshire at Lockwood, a chapelry, in the parish of Almondbury. The village is a rural suburb to the town of Huddersfield and is located in the vale of the river Holme. 2

One reference claims Lockwood was originally called North Crosland and part of the Crosland family estate but was taken over by the Lockwood family after a series of disputes between the both families.

However, this claim is rather dubious and should be questioned as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus de Lokewod and Thomas de Lockewod holding lands at that time. 3 Lockwood is also a civil parish in the unitary authority of Redcar & Cleveland in North Yorkshire.

"The Lockwoods were well established in Ecclesfield parish [of South Yorkshire] during the reign of Elizabeth. Lincolnshire is another home of the name. Lockwood is a parish near Huddersfield [West Yorkshire]."

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Henry de Locwode was listed in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1294. Later, Adam de Lokwode was found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1352 and Richard Lokwood was in the the rolls for Kent in 1455. 4

There is a scant entry for the family in Scotland, that of "John Locwode, witness in Edinburgh, 1426." 5

Early History of the Lockword family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lockword research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lockword History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lockword Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Lockword were recorded, including Lockwood, Lockward and others.

Early Notables of the Lockword family

More information is included under the topic Early Lockword Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lockword family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Lockword family emigrate to North America: Edmund Lockwood and his wife Elizabeth and child settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630; Albert and Charles Lockwood arrived in Philadelphia in 1874; James and William Lockwood arrived in San Francisco in 1850..

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)