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Possible explanation as to how it came to be …
HAY, a market town and parish, in the hundred of Talgarth, county of Brecknock, South Wales, containing 1959 inhabitants, of which number, 1709 are in the town of Jay, 15 miles (N.E. by E.) from Brecknock, and 154 (W. by N.) from London, on the road through Hereford to Brecknock, Carmarthen, and Milford. The Welsh name of this town is Tregelli, variously rendered Hazelton, “the town in the hazel grove,” or simply “the town in the forest,” and probably derived from it’s proximity to the extensive forest of Travele, Traneley, or Traneleia, so frequently mentions in the ancient grants, though no longer in existence. Its present legal name is supposed to be a modernized Norman translation of the Welsh appellation, having been derived from the Norman word haier, to enclose, and anciently written Haia.
Leland and Camden are of opinion that h town was once occupied by the Romans; the former writer states that Roman coins, which the country people called Jew’s money, and also the foundations of ancient buildings, had been discovered here; but these relics have long since disappeared, not even the memory of them beling now preserved on the spot; and modern writers commonly ascribe to it a Norman origin.
On the conquest of Brecknock by Bernard Newmarch, that powerful leader, in his division of the newly=acquired territory granted the manor of Hay to Sir Philip Walwyn, who, in the opinion of some writers, erected here a castle for his own residence and security of his domains, but does not appear to have long remained in possession; for, by a grant made by William Revel, to the Benedictine priory at Brecknock, of the church of St. Mary “at the Hay,” it is said to be given with the consent of his lord Bernard Newmarch, who was present at the dedication, and to whom the entire domain seems now to have belonged. The manor of Hay henceforward descended with the other possessions of this nobleman; and all accounts concur in stating that the castle was at last re-erected by his great grandson on the female side, William deBreos, some even considering him its sole founder, while, according to the vulgar tradition of the place, the same was effected in one night by the prodigious strength of his wife, Maud de St. Valeri, more familiarly known among the Welsh peasantry by the name of “Moll Walbee.” Many other marvelous tales are related of the exploits of this lady, whom authentic history proves to have been a worman of masculine courage and understanding.
On the attainder of William de Breos, the manor of Hay, with the other possissions of that nobleman, was forfeited to the crown, but was shortly restored, with the rest, to his son Giles, Biship of Hereford ; this prelate was succeeded in these possessions by his younger brother Reginald, who had married a daughter of Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, and, with his father-in-law, joined the confederacy of the English barons against King John, who, highly incensed at this conduct, advanced at the head of an army into this part of the marches, in 1215, laid was the country, and plundered the castle of Hay.
This fortress was afterwards entirely demolished by the Welsh, but, in 1231, was rebuilt by Henry III., who, having no other immediate object to accomplish employed upon this work the army which he then commanded in person in the marches. In 1233, it was taken by Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales, together with all the other castles belonging to the English in the ancient territory of Brycheiniog, except that of the borough of Brecknock.
In 1263, it was taken by Prince Edward, afterwards Edward 1., who being himself taken prisoner, with his royal father, in the folloing year, the confederate forces of Llewelyn ab Grufydd and the English barons, under Simon de Montford, regained possession of it, and set it on fire.
The decay and ruin which characterized this place in the reign of Henry VIII., when visited by Leland, and even down to a much later period, are ascribed to the frequent irruptions made by Owain Glyndwr into the marches; and it appears, from an instrument dated at Devynock, in September 1403, that many of the inhabitants of this lordship were suspected of favoring the cause of the Welsh chieftain. After the death of the last Duke of Buckinham of the Stafford family; the castle of Hay was restored to his son, the Lord Stafford : it afterwards, by some irregular means, became the property of James Boyle, as part of the possissions of the priory at Hereford, to which it had never belonged, and, in the reign of James I., descended to Howel Gywn of Trecastle, by marriage with Mary, granddaughter of Boyle; and this gentleman, it is supposed, erected on the site of part other castle a mansion still standing, which appears, from the style of its architecture, to have been built in the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, or in that of James I. On the death of Mrs. Gwyn, in 1702, it was let in apartments to different families.
The town is pleasantly situated on the southern bank of the river Wye, which here separates the counties of Brecknock and Radnor, but immediately below enters that of Hereford, and is bounded on the east by the small river Dulas, which falls into the Wye at this place, after separating for some distance the counties of Brecknock and Hereford. It consists of one principal thoroughfare, extending nearly parallel with the Way, and of several other streets diverging from it in different directions “ one of these leads north-westward to the church, another south-eastward round the castle, a third due east to the market-place, and fourth northward to the same point.
The whole is now being paved by a rate, producing about €90 per annum; but it is not lighted or supplied with water by any artificial means, enjoying an abundant supply of latter from the Dulas.
Within the last twenty to thirty years its improvement has been steadily progressive : the streets in many places have been widened, and divers unsightly obstructions removed; old houses have been modernized, and new ones of highly respectable character built, among the latter of which is an excellent inn and posting-house. The principal remaining evidence of the ancient rudeness of the buildings is the market-house, which it is intended shortly to pull down and re-erect. At the extremity of one of the streets is a bridge over the Wye, partly of stone and part of wood, replacing a handsome stone bridge of sever arches, destroyed by a flood in 1795, and some remains of which form part of the present structure : toll is taken on the bridge under the authority of an act of parliament obtained in the 29th of George II., which grants that privilege for a term of ninety-eight years, from the first day of August, 1763, at the expiration of which the bridge is to be toll-free.
Additional history can be found through this link: http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/View.aspx?dbid=7259&path=A+Topogr... Pages 11 and 12.
HAZELTON Surname Variants After centuries of use, surname spellings may have varied drastically over time. This may be the result of an intentional or unintentional change made by your ancestors. It means you should incorporate typical surname variants or misspellings into your ancestor search, to ensure you don’t miss an important piece of the puzzle.
Here are some common Hazelton surname variants:
Soundex: Hacault Hachaletes Hackelton Hackwelder Haclett Hagalawadi Hageleit Hagelthorn Hageltorn
Metaphone: Haizelden Haizlett Hascild Hascilowicz Haseldahl Haselden Haseldine Haseldon Haseleder