surname origin

St. Samson, a descendant of the kings of Brittany and Cornwall, left southern Wales in the mid 500s AD and went as a missionary to Dol, in Brittany with several followers. Eventually, he became the Bishop of Dol. In 1064, William the Conqueror, laid siege to Dol and conquered it.

There were three men of substance residing in Dol that allied themselves with William and took part in the conquest of England in 1066. They aligned themselves under the banner of William Fitz Osbern, who lead the drive through southern Wales and into Herefordshire.

These three men of substance were Baderorn (Batrun), Willliam, the son of Baderon, and Wihenoc, the brother of Baderon. William, the son of Baderon, was a young squire at the time. It is significant that these were men of importance as it is evidenced by the large number of manors and other holdings granted to them, especially to William, son of Baderon.

It is mystifying as to why he was granted so many holdings on the land that King William had reserved for himself. After the revolt of Earl Roger, the three Bretons were placed in charge of Monmouth Castle, in southern Wales, near the English border. This castle became the main baliwick of William, son of Baderon. Of the many manor holdings of William, son of Baderon, two were of significance: Heathway Manor in Ruardean and Little Lydney, later named St. Briavels.

At the time they were located in Gloucestershire but later this area became Herefordshire. At one time, Heathway Manor was held by a West Saxon noble, who also bore the name "Heathway". (The spelling of Hadweg, would have more approximated his name since the "d" was the saxon "edh" or "eth").

This Heathway also held a manor at Wormesley, in an administrative Hundred, used to oversee the exaction of tribute from the Welsh.

Contributed by Clyde Hathaway Clyde Hathaway was a member of the H.F.A. Board for many years and in preparation for the 1970 book he helped Beth Versailles with research on many New York families. During that time he reactivated his own branch reunions. He was born 1917 in Binghamton, NY and died in 1970.

This question has often been asked, along with, "Are we descended from Anne Hathaway?" The answer to that one is easy - "Not unless you have Shakespeares in your ancestry." Not that much is known about Anne's ancestry, but Jack Hathaway, Butte, MT, went on our trip to England last year and upon his return, wrote to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon for Hathaway genealogy. The chief guide there sent back a family tree which is somewhat hard to read in as much as it covers several copied handwritten pages measuring some three-feet-by-three-feet when pasted together. From this, we gather the following: Robert Gardener somehow gets linked to John Hatheway, Tennant of Hewlands Near Shottery 1543-56. John has Richard Hathaway, alias Gardener, occupant of Hewlands. He died in 1581 or 1582. His first wife was Anne, from Temple Gratton, buried there in 1563 or 1564. They were married in 1554. They had:
1. Bartholomew, b. 1554, m. Isabella Hancocks of Tredington, d. 1624
2. Anne, b. August 1556, m. William Shakespeare 1582, d. August 1623
3.Two Richards who died in infancy
4. Catherine, b. 1563 Richard then m. (2) Joan in 1565 d. Sept. 5, 1599

They had:
1. Joan, b. 1566
2. Thomas, b. 1569
3. Margaret, b. 1572
4. John, b. 1575
5. William, b. 1578

This chart does not carry any of Joan's children forward. The Bartholomew line is carried forward to John Hathaway. And the comments there are: Will dated 7 August in the 17th year of our Sovereign Lord George 2. Proved 2 April 1746. Leaves his freeholds for life to his mother and after her decease to his three sisters, Sarah, Elizabeth and Susanna. To Jane Webb. With his decease, the male line of Hathaway of Shottery became extinct. From this, we would gather that any relationship to Anne would have to exist, if it does, in earlier generations. There have been efforts to link Richard to the Hathaways of the Forest of Dean, but we are not aware of any successful efforts.

From Ruth Keightley in the Spring 2000 Hathaway Family Association Newsletter