Northwoyd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Northwoyd family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in or near "the north wood," as in the northernmost wood within a particular jurisdiction; or in one of the several places named Norwood or Northwood found throughout England.

Early Origins of the Northwoyd family

The surname Northwoyd was first found in Oxfordshire where the name was derived from the words "north" + "wood." ^[1] Some of the family were found in the parish of Sittingbourne in Kent where: "It is an incident worthy of notice in the ancient history of this town, that Henry V. was entertained at the Red Lion here, by John Northwood, a gentleman resident in the vicinity, at the expense of nine shillings and ninepence." ^[2]

Important Dates for the Northwoyd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Northwoyd research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1590 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Northwoyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Northwoyd Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Northwoyd include Norwood, Northwood, Norwold, Narwold and others.

Early Notables of the Northwoyd family (pre 1700)

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Northwoyd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Northwoyd family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Northwoyd or a variant listed above: Francis Norwood, who arrived in Boston in 1630; Richard Norwood settled in Virginia in 1643; Mary Norwood settled in Montserrat in 1685; Richard Norwood settled in Georgia in 1733..

Citations

1. ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
2. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.