Hayward
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Hayward Genealogy
The word hayward appeared in the English medieval poem Piers Plowman that was written in the 14th century.
A hayward had an important role to play in the feudal manorial system. His original duties were to protect the fences around the lammas lands when enclosed for hay, hence his name Hayward from the Old English hezeweard or "guardian of the hedge." The heze was a dead hedge easily erected or removed to form an enclosure. The hayward duties might also extend to seeing that breaches in the hedges were repaired, that straying cattle were impounded, and that fines, where deemed necessary, were issued and collected.
England. Rural England, as might be expected, has been where the surname Hayward was to be found, either in the west country (from Shropshire down to Hampshire on the south coast) or in the southeast (East Anglia and Kent).
George Hayward was a prosperous shoemaker in Bridgnorth, Shropshire in the early 1500's. His son Rowland Hayward became wealthy from the international cloth trade and emerged as one of the leading merchants and financiers in London in the Elizabethan age. He was a man of remarkable energy, marrying at the age of 60 a woman of 16 who was to bear him eight children. He was revered in London for his work in plague relief, but succumbed himself to the disease in 1593. These Haywards retained a base in Shropshire, at their Wenlock manor hall.
Haywards were to be found in Gloucestershire at Beverstone and Stonehouse and also in Bristol. An old Wiltshire family produced Abraham Hayward, a Victorian man of letters. Other Haywards in Wiltshire have been traced to the villages of Roundway, Lacock and Westbury. Frederick Hayward from Lacock left for South Australia in the 1840's where he made his money in sheep-farming. He returned a wealthy man and played the role of local squire in later life. Another Hayward family from Westbury emigrated to Canada in the 1850's.
The Hayward name also crops up in Suffolk, particularly in villages near Stowmarket. Thomas Hayward from Ringshall Hall set off for Western Australia in the 1850's where he prospered as a farmer and merchant.
America. The first Hayward arrivals in America, in the 1630's, may well have been Thomas and Suzanna Hayward from Aylesford in Kent. They settled in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Descendants were to be found in New Jersey and later in Michigan and Minnesota.
It has probably been in California where the Haywards have most left their mark in America. Alvinza Hayward made his fortune during the Gold Rush and was called "the richest man in California." William Hayward arrived in San Francisco at around the same time. He made no money from gold mining. But he left his name to the city of Hayward, now part of Oakland. Leland Hayward, the grandson of a US Senator from Nebraska, came to Hollywood in the 1940's and was soon acting as the agent for many of the top movie stars. He is best remembered today for his Broadway stage productions of South Pacific and The Sound of Music.
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Select Hayward Names
Sir Rowland Hayward, a cloth merchant from Shropshire, was twice Lord Mayor of London in Elizabethan England.
Alvinza Hayward became the richest man in California after the money he made in the Gold Rush.
Leland Hayward was a powerful and highly successful Hollywood agent and Broadway producer during the 1940's and 1950's.
Sir Jack Hayward is the English property developer best known for his ownership of his hometown football club, Wolverhamption Wanderers.
Select Haywards Today
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
The word hayward appeared in the English medieval poem Piers Plowman that was written in the 14th century.
A hayward had an important role to play in the feudal manorial system. His original duties were to protect the fences around the lammas lands when enclosed for hay, hence his name Hayward from the Old English hezeweard or "guardian of the hedge." The heze was a dead hedge easily erected or removed to form an enclosure. The hayward duties might also extend to seeing that breaches in the hedges were repaired, that straying cattle were impounded, and that fines, where deemed necessary, were issued and collected.
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Hayward Resources on
The
Internet
- Sir Rowland Hayward. A biographical account.
England. Rural England, as might be expected, has been where the surname Hayward was to be found, either in the west country (from Shropshire down to Hampshire on the south coast) or in the southeast (East Anglia and Kent).
George Hayward was a prosperous shoemaker in Bridgnorth, Shropshire in the early 1500's. His son Rowland Hayward became wealthy from the international cloth trade and emerged as one of the leading merchants and financiers in London in the Elizabethan age. He was a man of remarkable energy, marrying at the age of 60 a woman of 16 who was to bear him eight children. He was revered in London for his work in plague relief, but succumbed himself to the disease in 1593. These Haywards retained a base in Shropshire, at their Wenlock manor hall.
Haywards were to be found in Gloucestershire at Beverstone and Stonehouse and also in Bristol. An old Wiltshire family produced Abraham Hayward, a Victorian man of letters. Other Haywards in Wiltshire have been traced to the villages of Roundway, Lacock and Westbury. Frederick Hayward from Lacock left for South Australia in the 1840's where he made his money in sheep-farming. He returned a wealthy man and played the role of local squire in later life. Another Hayward family from Westbury emigrated to Canada in the 1850's.
The Hayward name also crops up in Suffolk, particularly in villages near Stowmarket. Thomas Hayward from Ringshall Hall set off for Western Australia in the 1850's where he prospered as a farmer and merchant.
America. The first Hayward arrivals in America, in the 1630's, may well have been Thomas and Suzanna Hayward from Aylesford in Kent. They settled in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Descendants were to be found in New Jersey and later in Michigan and Minnesota.
It has probably been in California where the Haywards have most left their mark in America. Alvinza Hayward made his fortune during the Gold Rush and was called "the richest man in California." William Hayward arrived in San Francisco at around the same time. He made no money from gold mining. But he left his name to the city of Hayward, now part of Oakland. Leland Hayward, the grandson of a US Senator from Nebraska, came to Hollywood in the 1940's and was soon acting as the agent for many of the top movie stars. He is best remembered today for his Broadway stage productions of South Pacific and The Sound of Music.
Select Hayward Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Hayward Names
Sir Rowland Hayward, a cloth merchant from Shropshire, was twice Lord Mayor of London in Elizabethan England.
Alvinza Hayward became the richest man in California after the money he made in the Gold Rush.
Leland Hayward was a powerful and highly successful Hollywood agent and Broadway producer during the 1940's and 1950's.
Sir Jack Hayward is the English property developer best known for his ownership of his hometown football club, Wolverhamption Wanderers.
Select Haywards Today
- 14,000 in the UK (most numerous in Hampshire)
- 2,000 in America (most numerous in California)
- 10,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada)
Select Index of Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames