HADFIELD, the origins of...
David Hadfield
Many
words have been written by well-meaning people regarding the origins of the
surname HADFIELD but unfortunately, most have been inaccurate. From both a historical and genealogical
perspective it is my intention here to attempt to shed some light on this often
asked and somewhat confused question.
Firstly,
I would highly recommend that anyone in possession of the many professionally
manufactured and illuminated surname plaques, wallhangings, laminated
certificates, etc. simply place them in the garbage where they belong. Although very colourful and often a source of
dinner conversation these somewhat expensive but erroneous items do nothing
more than add to the confusion.
Commencing
(in good genealogical fashion) with
the present day, how many of you with the surname Hadfield go through life
always having to say, “it’s Hadfield with a d, not a t”. This is usually because people tend to write
what they hear and due to accent or dialect it can frequently be difficult to
differentiate between a ‘had’ and a ‘hat’. I have Hadfield cousins who have siblings who
have a birth certificate registered with the surname of Hatfield. The local Registrar, who may have originated
from another county, wrote what he thought he heard the informant say. Misspelling, especially throughout central
and northern England, appears to have been extremely common for several
centuries and would show that the name Hadfield was far more widespread than
Hatfield.
Many
Hadfield families that migrated to North America in the last two hundred years
have also had their surname corrupted to Hatfield and their descendants
continue to be known by that name today.
No doubt this will all cause much difficulty and confusion for those
eventually attempting to trace their family lineage.
A
most important date in our search for the origin of Hadfield was 1558 when
Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England. Thankfully for us, Elizabeth instituted
changes that would affect record keeping to this day as she decreed the
principal language to be English and relegated French and Latin to court and
ecclesiastical use respectively.
Unfortunately however, for genealogists the preceding years back to the
dawn of civilisation in
It
isn’t until the 15th century that records start to show an
origin (or corruption), of the name Hadfield.
A good example of this is the The Last Testament of Stepham Hatefeld
dated 1492 and displays, in Latin, that Stepham was the Escheator (Crown Tax
Collector) of Holderness, Yorkshire.
Yorkshire has long been an established Hadfield stronghold and many
families today can trace their lineage back to Scandinavian invaders and their
subsequent descendants. In tracing the
various Hadfield branches it is evident that for several hundred years a
gradual migration took place from Yorkshire across to Derbyshire, Cheshire and
Lancashire. These being the principal
counties where ‘modern day’ Hadfield families can trace their
ancestry.
Prior
to the 15th century Hatefeld, Hetfeld and Hedfeld were names
frequently used to describe people who lived in and around heath or marsh land
and are considered to be of early British or Saxon origin and over the
centuries have changed little.
As
for a crest or coat-of-arms, anything other than a scallop shell or raised arm with
chalice is rubbish.