Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
This study is no longer registered with the Guild, but this profile page has been retained at the member's request. Please note that neither officers nor members of the Guild are able to answer any questions about this study.
The EZARD One-Name Study has a worldwide remit and focuses on the history of the name and nameholders.
EZARD is a difficult name - if people hear it, they cannot spell it; and if they see it, they cannot pronounce it. (It is Ee-zard in British English; it was my maiden name.) This recurring problem and my own background in English-language teaching make me keenly aware that pronunciation, and dialect, will have had a great impact on how the name has developed.
The Ezard heartland is in the north of England, most particularly Yorkshire, but the variant EZART occurs in the West Riding and Co Durham, and the overtly German-looking EDZARD in the old county of Middlesex.
A version of a name that arises from a mis-spelling is designated a 'deviant' and into this category fall EZZARD, EZERD, EZEARD. Though they may have developed as distinct names they arose from a mistake - whereas EZARD, EZART, and EDZARD are the 'organic' forms.
At this early stage of the Study it is not possible to state categorically the origin and meaning of the name EZARD; however, there are strong pointers linking it to a Germanic language. The '-(h)ard' suffix signifies 'strong/hard/sharp' and is found in several names of Germanic origin, e.g. Richard, Bernard. The 'E(z)' sound seems to be derived from an old word for 'edge', which survives, for instance, in 'adze' (a kind of axe head). Therefore the name EZARD and its variants may ultimately be derived from the idea of a strong or sharp cutting tool, which suggests that it may have arisen as an occupational name. Interestingly, 19th century UK census entries show that many EZARDs were carpenters, joiners, wheelwrights; but that may be no more than a co-incidence.
Northern EZARDs
The largest group of EZARDs is found in the north of England, most notably in Yorkshire - the East Riding, the North Riding, and the Ainsty of York, which are areas strongly connected with migrations from the North West of Europe during the Dark Ages, i.e. before about 1000AD. Please refer to Anglo-Saxon Immigration and Ethnogenesis, Medieval Archaeology 55 2011.1-28, Heinrich Härke, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading. Though, as yet, I have no proof I believe that a proto-form of the name that developed into EZARD may have come to England during those years, i.e. the deep roots of the name and nameholders may lie in North West Europe. Therefore, it looks as if the story of the name could be a story of migration.
In 1867, the name crossed the Pennines to Manchester. The move seems to be related to the enterprise of three young men from the East Riding - Richard Rowbotham, his brother-in-law Charles Ezard, and Isaac Sykes. They went into partnership as Rowbotham, Ezard & Sykes at Wellington Iron Works, Bradford, Manchester. (Today this part of Manchester is known as Eastlands.) Richard Rowbotham and Charles Ezard were the designers and Isaac Sykes seems to have been the technical member of the team. The partnership had a chequered history and was eventually dissolved. (Ref: The London Gazette for entries related to Charles Ezard between 1871 and 1882.) The iron works created employment and several families (EZARDs and others) moved to Manchester, around Bradford Road; entries in the 1871 census for the immediate area testify to this. The first recorded Ezard birth in Manchester is in the third quarter of 1868.
Charles's uncle, William Ezard of Filey - 'Joiner and Builder and Lodging house keeper' - was declared bankrupt in 1867 (The London Gazette No 23307, p 5337) and moved his own family to Bradford Road, Manchester. It is not known whether, initially, he had employment in his nephew's iron foundry but by the time of the 1871 census he was working as a joiner. About a decade later, when their fortunes had improved, William's family moved to Deeside - Hoylake and West Kirby on the Wirral peninsula. By now two of William's sons - Joseph and William - were builders. It is this Ezard family that helped develop Hoylake and West Kirby, building many of the big houses that still stand today. West Kirby Museum is undertaking a research project on the builders and buildings in the area.
London EZARDs
The name EZARD and the overtly Germanic EDZARD also occur in London and the old county of Middlesex. To date the earliest reference is found in the 1690s, but numbers increase during the early years of the Hanoverian monarchy (the first quarter of the 18th century). This group seems, originally, to stem from E(d)zards who came to England from Germanic states, in particular, East Friesland. To date, I have not found links between this group and the Northern EZARDs.
Counts of East Friesland: Edzard I, known as Edzard the Great, 1462-1528, and his grandson Edzard II, 1532-1599. The name is sometimes rendered EDZARDT. In English government correspondence from the 1580s/1590s, the grandson is referred to as 'Count Ezard' or 'Count Edzard' by officials, which suggests that the name is considered the same. (For brief lives, refer to Wikipedia; and for the grandson's pedigree to the Directory of Royal Genealogy at the University of Hull, http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cssbct/genealogy/royal/gedFx30.html.)
Charles Ezard b 1840, iron founder and designer whose designs for over 60 items of metal work can be found at The National Archives in Registers held in BT 43/54, 'Design Representations for Class 1 (Metal)'. He was also granted several patents for his designs.
Joseph Ezard 1850-1926, Master builder and Methodist, who built some of the big houses in Hoylake and West Kirby. If you visit those small towns, look around and you will see his work. He also helped to establish the Methodist circuit in that area, and served on the local council for a number of years. (Ref: Hoylake & West Kirby Advertiser, 21 June 1924.)
In the 1881 census, there were 212 EZARDs: Yorkshire (the old East, North and West Ridings and the Ainsty of York) accounted for 132, Lancashire for 31, Cheshire 18, and Northumberland and Co Durham a further 10. That is 90% in the north of England. There were nine nameholders in the old county of Middlesex, just over 4% of the total. There were very few in other counties; these may have been visitors on census night or servants working away from home. (Figures from Surname Atlas, the Steve Archer CD.) I therefore conclude that EZARD is overwhelmingly a northern name, with its roots in Yorkshire.
The Great Britain Family Names Profiling project based at University College, London, and using data from 1998, shows that the name is now more widely distributed but remains strongest in the north of England, particularly Yorkshire.
Finally, the Office for National Statistics shows that in 2002 there were 263 EZARDs in England and Wales This is an increase of 51 since 1881.
I have yet to discover when the name left English shores for Australia and North America, particularly Canada. But now, in the 21st century, the name EZARD is more prevalent overseas than it is in the UK - there is a higher frequency per million (FPM) both in Ontario, Canada, and in Victoria, Australia (about 13/PM in both areas); whereas you will find about five per million in the UK. (Refer to the World Family Names Profiler, another project from the profiling team at UCL, http://worldnames.publicprofiler.org/Default.aspx.) This means that EZARD, though an unusual name, is slightly less uncommon in Australia and North America, so I hope to find research collaborators who are familiar with those jurisdictions and resources.
The study is still in its early stages and emphasis is on the history of the name. I find that I am investigating individuals and families, rather than just collecting lists of names - I strive to make it 'mean' something as I go along and have been able to help several people. Therefore these matters are still to be completed:
(i) the occurence of all EZARD, EZART, and EDZARD entries in:
UK BMDs, 1837-1920, using FreeBMDUK Census info, 1841-1911
(ii) the following up of all references to the names at The National Archives, Kew, using Discovery, the online catalogue; the references also link through to archives held elsewhere in England - those held in Yorkshire-based archives will be particularly important. (This work is in progress.)
(iii) finding information held in Lancashire, in particular Manchester, and in Cheshire, particularly for the Wirral, through contact with local sources and family history societies. (Not started.)
I am alert to data from other jurisdictions. Currently, this has come about in an unstructured way - just a few serendipitous discoveries:
Australia:1863 Francis Ezard, Darebin Creek, Melbourne. A farmer, he was born at Bridlington, Yorkshire. (The Argus, Melbourne, 26 January 1863)
Canada: 1817/18 Captain John Ezard was the Master of The Valiant, which sailed from Hull to Prince Edward Island. At the end of the second voyage, he died of 'Asjama' [Asthma?] and was buried at the Elm Ave Cemetery, Charlottetown on 7 June 1818. (Ref: The Valiant Connection, York History Society, 1993: http://www.islandregister.com/valiant.html.)
United States:During the American Civil War, 1861-1865: John Ezard was a cavalryman. He had his own horse and served as a private in the 1st Oregon Cavalry (Union). He died in Illinois in 1896.Joseph F Ezard served in the 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Broyles') (Confederates). He achieved promotion to sergeant. On the official envelope his name is written first as 'Ezard' and then as 'Ezzard'.And, tantalisingly, Henry Ezard was a surgeon in the Mississippi Reserve - Corps Brandon (Confederates).
(Note: These names were glimpsed when using a 'free' day on a commercial website. To date, I have not searched further.)
I am using the genealogy utility program Clooz 3 to record all data, because its great strength is to link people through documents. This facilitates research and suggests new paths to take.
So even at the outset of the study it is obvious that EZARD is a name with a deep, rich and sometimes surprising history. I know I will enjoy investigating it all and hope that others will join me.
The Study has a newsletter EZARD Lines, first published in June 2016. The newsletter gives an overview of progress during the year, and I hope to produce it annually. It is in .pdf format and available on request to all interested parties.
Ezard - The Name and Its History