Vavasour family

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The Vavasour family is an old English Catholic family with Norman beginnings. They held Hazlewood Castle, a fortified manor, for nearly 900 years after the Norman Conquest, and Hazlewood gave refuge to Catholics during Henry VIII’s persecutions. The family has several branches that often married with other Catholic families, all tracing back to William le Vavasour. A vavasour was a feudal lord. The Vavasours are listed on the Battle Abbey Roll and lived at Hazlewood from the Domesday era until 1908.

They are of Anglo-Norman descent, and their lines include Maud le Vavasour, Baroness Butler. From the English Reformation to Catholic Emancipation, they were recusants who paid fines for practicing Catholicism. They mostly avoided persecution by attending church services a few times a year and partly conforming to Anglican norms, which helped them keep their lands and wealth.

There were several Vavasour baronetcies. The first baronetcy became extinct with the death of the 7th baronet. The current, surviving baronetcy is the fifth creation.