While Hawford was a somewhat conservative and administrative-minded academic politician head of house, no friend of religious enthusiasm and suspected of covert Catholicism.in 1564, was still in office when Queen Elizabeth visited Cambridge on 5 August Hawford did his share in receiving her, and took part in the divinity act held in her presence.The dean and chapter of Norwich Cathedral sent him £100 in 1569 as an acknowledgment of the help which he had given them in the matter of their charter, and he bestowed the money on his college.He was one of the heads mainly responsible for the new university statutes drawn up in 1570: they displeased the Puritan party at Cambridge, who decried their supporters, and Hawford was accused of having dragged his feet in removing Catholic books and vestments from his college.The majority of the fellows of Christ's College were unhappy at his ejection of the Puritan Hugh Broughton from his fellowship in 1579, and wrote to the chancellor and to Sir Walter Mildmay against his action.
Memorial brass to Edward Hawford in the college chapel.
