Longwood and Langwade are arguably the same surname, at least in the sense that they are both English, both locational, and mean the same thing. Whether they originate from the same place(s) though, is a different argument. They both derive from the pre 7th century Olde English words "lang" meaning long, and "wudu" - a wood. Local dialects seem however to have developed the names differently. "Longwood" originates from any one of the several places so named in England, principally in the counties of Hampshire, Stafford and Yorkshire, whilst Langwade may originate from a Cumbrian village known in the 12th century as "Langwadebi", but now as Langwathy. The suffix "bi" is Norse-Viking and means "farm". However whilst Longwood as a surname is easily traceable over the centuries, and is often found in its place name locality, being for instance, quite popular in Yorkshire, this is not the case with Langwade, which does not seem to be recorded in Cumbria or Northumberland, at least not before the 19th century. Examples that we have been able to find of both surnames taken from surviving registers and charters include Henry Longwood of Monk Fryston, Yorkshire, on September 12th 1548, Samuel Langwood, at St Lukes church, Finsbury, on July 31st 1803, and John Langwade, whose daughter Elizabeth was christened at St Leonard's, Shoreditch, London, on September 1st 1816. The first known recording of the surname is believed to be that of Thomas Longewode, of Rotherham, Yorkshire, on September 28th 1544. This was during the reign of King Henry V111, 1510 -1547.

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