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The founder of the Hardaker dynasty at Rawdon near Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire appears to have been Roger, who died there in 1667. Where he came from is still uncertain, but the family name appears to have originated as a place name in the north-west of Yorkshire, possibly near Clapham. The name is said to be Old English or Old Norse for 'cattle field' - 'hard' is 'herd' and 'aker' or 'acre' is a field.
I am trying to trace as many of Roger's descendants as possible. I have been able to clarify the first two or three generations from some early wills, but the task gets much harder as the numbers of descendants expands with each succeeding generation. Once we get to the late 1800s the descendants are spread far and wide, with branches in America, Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand, that I know of.
Most of the early generation in Rawdon were cottage woollen weavers. Judging from what they had to leave in their wills, most were as poor as church mice, although a few attained the status of 'yeomen', i.e. farmers who owned their own land, which was relatively rare in those days. The situation of many families appears to have deteriorated after the industrial revolution when mechanised production of cloth put the cottage weavers and their hand looms out of business. Many people then had to take poorly paid jobs in the 'dark satanic mills', and it was at this time that many started to look for a better life over the seas.
There was a strong thread of religious Dissent, later Nonconformity, that ran through the family. Richard son of the first Roger was a Quaker and Roger's son John was also a Dissenter, involved in what was later to become the Baptist church. Later, some of the Hardakers were prominent in the early Wesleyan churches around Rawdon. Unfortunately, the irritating habit of some early Rawdon Hardakers not to patronise the local Established Church for events such as baptisms and burials does not make tracking them down easy.
I have assembled a large but still growing database of BMDs, Census information and other evidence. The information has come from many sources, including a lot from many kind people who have looked things up for me or have sent me their own accumulated data. I am working, painfully slowly, to piece together what I can.
In 2004 I spent some months in Yorkshire where I was able to use some of the local libraries and other sources to expand my knowledge of the history of this extensive family.
As I progress, I hope eventually to share what I know via the Internet with others who may be interested, so watch for progress reports if interested.
J Brian Hardaker, NSW, Australia
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