A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Hawkesworth family of England.
falconOne eager and quick in pursuitSir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Sa. three falcons close ppr”
The Hawkesworth arms were recorded in York, c. 1735.
Yorkshire is the largest of the English counties, and it held more gentry families than any other. Land there was split among a great many households rather than a few, so a great many of them carried arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
Reigning in England when the Hawkesworth arms are first recorded.
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
The surname Hawkesworth is a locational name that originated from a small settlement in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In Old English, the name combines the word for a hawk with the word for a clearing or an enclosure, suggesting that the family’s earliest ancestors lived near a woodland area where these birds of prey were commonly found. By the time the family was firmly established in the city of York in 1735, they had already been part of the regional landscape for several centuries. Families with this name often moved from rural manors into growing urban centers like York to pursue trade and professional opportunities during the eighteenth century. This transition reflected the broader movement of English families who sought to improve their social and economic standing in the bustling markets of northern England.
Old English for hawk and an enclosed homestead or settlement.
