| ![Show Contents]() Saunderson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Saunderson is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Saunderson is was a patronymic name created from Sandy, a diminutive of the given name Alexander. 1 Other sources denote the name is from 'Alexander's son.' 2 3 4 Early Origins of the Saunderson familyThe surname Saunderson was first found in county Durham. They were descended from Alexander, a Norman noble who had been granted lands in Waslington in the county of Durham and whose son took the surname James Saunderson. Whorlton in Durham was home to one branch of the family. "This place formed part of the forfeited estates of the Earl of Westmorland, and was purchased from the commissioners of the crown lands; the manor subsequently became the property of the Sanderson family." 5 Also the parish of Saxby in Lincolnshire was home to the family since early times. "This place has long been in the possession of the Saundersons, now represented by the Earl of Scarborough." 5 Early London records list Adam Saunderson in 1349. 6 In Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Ricardus Sawndirson; and Johannes Saundirson. 7 Ireland was an early home to many of the family. "The Saundersons of co. Cavan are descended from Alexander de Bedick of Waslington, co. Durham, whose son, James de Bedick, used the alias of Saunderson, from his father's Christian name. His descendants settled in the shires of Nottingham and Lincoln, and it is from the latter county that the Saundersons just mentioned derive themselves. The family of this name in co. Wicklow, claim that their ancestor came into England about the year 1270, and that he sprang 'from Robert, Lord of Innspruck, who was second brother of Rodolph, Count of Hapsburgh, and subsequently Emperor.' The founder of the family in Ireland was a follower of Cromwell." 4 In Scotland, entries were first found in the 15th century. "Johannes Sandrison was witness in Kyncardyn, 1434. John Sanderson bought the Temple lands of Lethindy in 1472. William Sanderissone and Vmfra Sanderissone were summoned in 1479 to answer to parliament for treason." 2 Early History of the Saunderson familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saunderson research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1561, 1572, 1573, 1574, 1587, 1602, 1603, 1611, 1627, 1630, 1637, 1663, 1667, 1682, 1696, 1712, 1720, 1723, 1739, 1761, 1837, 1906, 1977 and 1997 are included under the topic Early Saunderson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Saunderson Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Saunderson, Sanderson, Sandeson, Sandison and others. Early Notables of the Saunderson familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Nicholas Saunderson (1682-1739), English scientist and mathematician, he may have been the earliest discoverer of Bayes theorem
- Mary Saunderson (1637-1712), later known as Mary Saunderson Betterton after her marriage to Thomas Betterton, an actress and singer - one of the first as before this time, females were portrayed by bo...
- Sir Nicholas Saunderson (1561-1630) created, 1st Baronet Castleton in 1611, and Viscount Castleton in 1627
- James Saunderson (1667-1723), 6th Viscount Castleton, created Earl Castleton in 1720
 Migration of the Saunderson family to Ireland
Some of the Saunderson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Saunderson migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Saunderson or a variant listed above were:
Saunderson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Thomas Saunderson who settled in Virginia in 1635
- Tho Saunderson, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 8
- Robert Saunderson, who landed in Massachusetts in 1639 8
- Edward Saunderson, who landed in Virginia in 1654 8
- Ann Saunderson, who landed in Maryland in 1668 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Saunderson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Charles Saunderson, who arrived in America in 1764 8
- Jos Saunderson, who arrived in Virginia in 1788 8
Saunderson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- William Saunderson, who landed in America in 1800 8
- James Saunderson, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 8
- Henry Saunderson, who arrived in Morgan County, Illinois in 1839 8
- S W Saunderson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
| Saunderson migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Saunderson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Thomas Saunderson, aged 41, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
- John Saunderson, aged 42, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
- George Saunderson, aged 43, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
- Elizabeth Saunderson, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
| Saunderson migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Saunderson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
| Saunderson 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: Saunderson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- C. S. Saunderson, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 10
- M. Saunderson, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 10
- T. Saunderson, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 10
| Saunderson 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. 11Saunderson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Joe Saunderson, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
- Mr. John Saunderson, aged 23 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 8
- John Saunderson, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants
| Contemporary Notables of the name Saunderson (post 1700) | + |
- Jason M. Saunderson, American football coach
- Kevin Maurice Saunderson (b. 1964), American electronic music producer
- James Saunderson (1667-1723), 1st Earl Castleton, an English aristocrat and politician, Member of Parliament for Newark from 1698 to 1700, and from 1701 to 1710
- Nicholas Saunderson (1562-1631), 1st Viscount Castleton, an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1593 and 1625
- George Saunderson (1631-1714), 5th Viscount Castleton, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1698
- John Saunderson (b. 1948), English-born, Australian politician
- Mr. Philip Richard Saunderson M.B.E., J.P., British recipient of Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Heritage, to charity and to the community in Northamptonshire 12
- William J. Saunderson, Canadian former politician in Ontario, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism
- Edward James Saunderson PC, JP, DL (1837-1906), Irish unionist politician
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Je suis veillant à plaire
Motto Translation: I am watchful to please.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 4 July 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
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Saunderson migration to the United States 
Saunderson migration to Canada 
Saunderson migration to Australia 
Saunderson migration to New Zealand 
Saunderson migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
Scotland
