The Bayeux Tapestry, which illustrates on fine linen the conquest of England by William the Conqueror of Normandy, is a miraculously preserved piece of history.

The name "Wadard" is also part of the embroidery. Seems he was a Norman knight, who along with another obscure knight named Vital are among the names personalized on the tapestry.

Wadard is also named in the Domesday Book, a census that was taken by William the Conqueror. He was said to have held lands in the counties under the jurisdiction of Bishop Odo, William's half brother.

Woodward is a variation of a few different Anglo-Norman spellings of the name. It is most likely Norman in origin, and means "watcher" or "guardian" of the woods. The Normans( who were Vikings who settled in the North of France, or Normandy), carried the name with them after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and the subsequent influence on the English language, and the noblity of England.