Show ContentsSaltmarsh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the Saltmarsh name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the township of Saltmarsh which was in the parish of Howden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Saltmarsh is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages people were very conscious of the variations in their surroundings including the soil types. In this case the original bearers of the surname Saltmarsh were named due to their close proximity to a salt marsh.

Early Origins of the Saltmarsh family

The surname Saltmarsh was first found in Yorkshire where the first record of the name was William Saltmarsh, Latinized De Salso Marisco, witnessed a grant of Richard Strongbow in the 12th century. Sir Richard Saltmarsh was one of the knights of that shire 17. Edward II. [1]

Saltmarsh is a township, in the parish and union of Howden, wapentake of Howdenshire, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. "The Hall is a handsome stone mansion, with a well-wooded lawn and pleasure-grounds, the seat of the Saltmarsh family." [2]

Early History of the Saltmarsh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saltmarsh research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1639, 1646 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Saltmarsh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saltmarsh Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Saltmarsh were recorded, including Saltmarsh, Saltmarshe and others.

Early Notables of the Saltmarsh family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • John Saltmarsh (d. 1647), English mystical writer, of an old Yorkshire family, and a native of Yorkshire. Leaving the university, he became (about 1639) rector of Heslerton, Yorkshire. In 1646 Saltmar...


United States Saltmarsh migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Saltmarsh family emigrate to North America:

Saltmarsh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Saltmarsh, who landed in New England in 1700 [3]
Saltmarsh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Saltmarsh, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 [3]

Australia Saltmarsh migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Saltmarsh Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Saltmarsh, British Labourer who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]
  • Henry Saltmarsh, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]
  • John Saltmarsh, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 [5]
  • Mr. James Saltmarsh, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 1st January 1850, arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia [6]

New Zealand Saltmarsh migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Saltmarsh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Saltmarsh, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Taupo" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1875 [7]

West Indies Saltmarsh migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [8]
Saltmarsh Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Saltmarsh who was banished to Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Saltmarsh (post 1700) +

  • Mrs. Ruth Mary Saltmarsh M.B.E., British former Trusteee for Atkinson Unit, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to the community in Exeter, Devon [9]

HMS Royal Oak
  • Stanley R. Saltmarsh, British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking [10]


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  9. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  10. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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