HISTORY OF THE HAWKES NAME (Source www.surnamedb.com)

This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and has three possible origins, the first of which is from an Olde English pre 7th Century personal name, originally a byname, 'H(e)afoc', meaning 'Hawk', and recorded in the 1066 Winton Rolls of Hampshire as 'Havoc'. The second origin is related to the above, and is a nickname surname of medieval times, arising from the supposed resemblance of someone to a hawk and its characteristics, such as sharp sight, ferocity, or the possession of a hooked nose like a hawk's beak. The nickname derives from the Olde English 'heafoc', Middle English 'hau(l)k' or 'haveke'.

The surname Hawk, of which Hawkes is the patronymic form, meaning 'son of Hawk', can also be a metonymic occupational name for a hawker, one who trained hawks. William Hawkes was awarded a B.A. at Oxford University in 1539. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Hawk, witness, which was dated 1269, The Assize Court Records of Northumberland, during the reign of King Henry III, The Frenchman, 1216 to 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Our Hawkes family including McLarnon Small numbers by a name refer to personal number in listing eg LYDIA ^2HAWKES see 2 GENERATION ONE :

1.~ ~ ~ BENJAMIN HAWKES was born around 1815 and married ELIZA RAY on 12 October 1835 at Datchet, Buckingham, England. Eliza was the daughter of HENRY RAY and SARAH (surname unknown) and was born in Hampshire, England. Benjamin and Eliza left England for New Zealand with their six children on the Louisa Campbell in 1842.

Children of BENJAMIN HAWKES and ELIZA RAY were :

JAMES THOMAS HAWKES, baptized 22 May 1836 in Berkshire, England; died 20 June 1908 in Avondale, Auckland, NZ.

(male child) HAWKES, born prior to Lydia.

LYDIA ² HAWKES born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England in 1836.

HENRY HAWKES born around 1840; died June 1842; buried at Old Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland.

Twin daughters ELLEN HAWKES and MARY ANN HAWKES, baptized 27 August 1841 in Bray, Berkshire, England. The girls died shortly after arriving in New Zealand, one in June and one in July 1842. They were both were buried at Old Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland.

There was much tragedy in the life of this pioneer family. Henry suffered greatly on the long sea voyage to New Zealand and died a day or two after landing in June 1842 aged 2 years. On 3 July 1842 Eliza died after being fatally scalded while doing the family wash in one of the old-fashioned three-legged iron pots. A few weeks later the remaining baby girl also died.

Benjamin obtained employment with Mr Mason, a farmer who lived in Auckland's first milk walk in Mt Eden and Lydia was sent to a boarding school in Victoria Street, Auckland. Around 1847 Benjamin took over Major Bunberry's farm at Tamaki, near old St Thomas' Church. Around 1860 he settled in Papatoetoe.

Benjamin died after being thrown from his horse in July 1866 and was buried at Papatoetoe Cemetery, Papatoetoe, Auckland.

GENERATION TWO :

2.~ ~ ~ LYDIA HAWKES (BENJAMIN) was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England in 1836 and was the third child of BENJAMIN HAWKES and ELIZA RAY. She arrived in New Zealand in 1842 with her family on the ship Louisa Campbell. Within weeks her mother and three younger siblings had died and Lydia was sent to boarding school in Victoria Street, Auckland and remained there until she was eleven years old. She then went to keep house for her father and two older brothers at Tamaki.

Lydia married THOMAS ROBERT McLARNON on 14 February 1861 at the residence of Rev J Macky in Otahuhu. Thomas was born on 29 July 1829 in Moulmein, Burma and had come to New Zealand with his mother MARGARET (nee BROWN) step-father ANDREW SCALLON and two brothers on the Fencible ship Ann in 1948.

Lydia and Thomas settled in Papatoetoe and raised a family of 14 children. Lydia died in Ponsonby, Auckland aged 89 years and was buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Otahuhu, Auckland. Thomas died on 19 October 1900 and was also buried at Holy Trinity Cemetery in Otahuhu.

> Refer to the McLARNON family for more information about the family of Thomas and children of Thomas and Lydia.

Please note that in keeping to genealogy publishing protocol I have not included information about later generations including living persons.
If you have a family connection please contact me for further information.

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