Map of England showing where the Lockwood arms are recorded
The Lockwood arms were recorded in Essex, c. 1530.
Essex lay close enough to London for City money to buy land there. Merchants who prospered moved out to estates within a day's ride, and a new landowner almost always wanted arms to go with the ground.
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.
Henry VIII of England
Sovereign of the period
Henry VIII of England
1509–1547
Reigning in England when the Lockwood arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
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.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Essex.
Origin & History of the Lockwood Family in England
The surname Lockwood is a locative name, meaning it was originally derived from a specific place rather than a trade or a personal characteristic. The name is composed of two Old English elements: "loc," which refers to an enclosure or a barrier, and "wudu," which means a wood or forest. This suggests that the first people to carry the name likely lived near a fenced-in forest or a woodland clearing that served as a boundary. By the year 1530, records confirm that members of the Lockwood family were well-established in the county of Essex. During this period, the family was part of the local gentry and landowning class, which allowed them to leave behind clear documentation in parish registers and legal deeds. As the family grew, they spread from these original settlements in Essex to other parts of England, carrying their name forward as a link to their ancestral woodland home.
Lockwood Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
locc and wudu
Old English for a clearing or enclosure and a wood or forest.
This name
LockwoodRefers to a person who lived near a fortified or enclosed woodland area.
also spelled
Lockwode
Lokwood
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Reaney, P.H., A Dictionary of British Surnames, 1958
Essex Record Office, Quarter Sessions Rolls, 1530–1600
Lower, Mark Antony, Patronymica Britannica: A Dictionary of the Family Names of the United Kingdom, 1860
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fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
bendDefence, and the scarf of a commander
martletA younger son, who must win his own land
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
fessThe military belt, and readiness to serve
bendDefence, and the scarf of a commander
martletA younger son, who must win his own land
roundelA coin, and one who has been to the crusades
