The Vavasour family are an English Catholic family whose history dates back to Norman times. The fortified manor of Hazlewood was held by the Vavasour family for nearly nine centuries from the Norman Conquest on and provided refuge for Catholics during the persecution of Catholics through the reign of Henry VIII, King of England. There are several branches of the family, some of whom have intermarried with other notable Catholic families, and are descended from William le Vavasour. A vavasour was a type of feudal liegeman.
They are featured on the Battle Abbey Roll and lived at Hazlewood Castle from the time of the Domesday Book until 1908. The Vavasours are of Anglo-Norman descent and the various branches of the family are said to have descended from William le Vavasour, paternal grandfather of Maud le Vavasour, Baroness Butler. During the years between the English Reformation up until the Catholic Emancipation, the Vavasours were noted as a recusant family for remaining staunchly Catholic despite being fined numerous times.
By showing up at services several times a year and pretending to conform to Anglicanism, they largely escaped persecution and managed to retain their property and wealth.
The first (and now extinct) Vavasour Baronetcy.
The baronetcy became extinct upon the death of the 7th baronet.
The fifth creation of the Vavasour baronetcy and the only one still extant.