| ![Show Contents]() Saward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Saward is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name Siward, which was an Old English personal name. Accordingly, there are numerous early listings of the name as a personal name. 1 Siward (died 1048), was Bishop and Coadjutor-Archbishop, a monk of Glastonbury, and succeeded Aehelwine as Abott of Abingdon probably in 1030. Siward, Earl of Northumberland (d. 1055), called Digera or 'The Strong', was a Dane, and "is said to have been the son of a Danish Jarl (chief) named Biorn. According to legend he was descended from a white bear and a lady. Fitting out a ship, he is said to have sailed to Orkney, where he overcame a dragon, went thence to Northumbria, and, in obedience to a supernatural command, to London, where he entered the service of King Edward the Confessor. " 2 Siward (died 1075) was Bishop of Rochester, Abbot of Chertsey in Surrey, and was consecrated Bshop of Rochester by Archbishop Stigand in 1058. 2 Another source claims the name was an occupational name as in "high admiral, who kept the sea against pirates, from sea, and ward, a keeper." 3 Early Origins of the Saward familyThe surname Saward was first found in Essex where the family probably originated in Sewardstone, a hamlet, in the parish of Waltham-Abbey, union of Edmonton, hundred of Waltham. 4 Alternatively, the name could have originated in Sewardesley, in Northamptonshire. Little remains of this latter location other than Sewardsley Priory, which was a Priory occupied by Cistercian nuns and was located in Showsley near Towcester. 1 "Two Siwards were of considerable note at the Conquest, one in Shropshire, the other in Cheshire." 5 "Siward, surnamed Grossus, is more than once mentioned in Domesday, and was 'a great assistant to Earl Roger in the foundation of Salop Abbey.' According to Ordericus, he was a kinsman of the Earl's, and probably of Danish blood : " the name Siward is Danish rather than Saxon, and Earl Roger's great-grandmother was a Dane." He was consequently suffered to retain the manors in Shropshire that he had held under the Confessor, and bequeathed them to his son Aldred." 5 "The other Siward was one of the 'Barones et Homines' enumerated by Hugh Lupus in his charter to Chester Abbey, and the ancestor of the Lancelyns, seated at Poulton-Lancelyn in that county till the reign of Henry VIII. A Seward was among the twelve knights who, under William Rufus, went with Robert Fitz-Hamon to the conquest of Glamorgan, and formed the " Douze Peres" between whom he divided his newly-won territory. The Devonshire family of Seward of Stokeinteignhead probably derived from him: and Banks believes him to have been also the progenitor of the Sywards of Winterborn-Clinston, in Dorsetshire." 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had some of the first listings of the name. There was a mixture of both personal names and surnames there including: "Sygwat Kat'bode in Norfolk; Syward and Sywardus (without surnames) in Oxfordshire; Thomas Swyat in Suffolk; and Richard Swyard in Buckinghamshire." 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Hugo Syward and Johanna Swyard. And further north in Scotland, Richard Suwart (Siward) "was a Scottish knight, [who was] married to a sister of Simon Fresel, who, having more than once shifted his allegiance, was at that time serving in the English army. Edward II. appointed him Constable of Dumfries in 1309, and he is supposed to have died in the following year." 5 Early History of the Saward familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saward research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1053, 1236, 1248, 1641, 1657, 1658, 1701 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Saward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Saward Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Saward include Seward, Sewerd, Saward and others. Early Notables of the Saward familyAnother 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Saward Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Saward family to Ireland
Some of the Saward family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Saward migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Saward Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Arthur Richard Saward, aged 24, who settled in America from Windsor, England, in 1904
- J. E. Saward, aged 58, who landed in America, in 1904
- Mrs. Frederick E. Saward, who landed in America, in 1908
- Frederick E. Saward, who landed in America, in 1908
- Richard Saward, aged 28, who settled in America from US, in 1909
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Saward migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Saward Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- John Saward, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
- Mr. John Saward, British Warehouse porter who was convicted in London, England for 14 years for Embezzlement, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
| Contemporary Notables of the name Saward (post 1700) | + |
- Jill Saward (1965-2017), English campaigner on issues relating to sexual violence and the victim of the 1986 Ealing vicarage rape
- James Townsend Saward (1799-1857), Victorian English barrister and forger, nicknamed Jim the Penman, sent to Australia for 14 years in 1857
- Michael Saward (1932-2015), British Anglican priest and hymnist
- Major-General Michael Henry Saward (1841-1928), British Army officer, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey
- William Saward, British track and field marathoner at the 1900 Summer Olympics
- Patrick "Pat" Saward (1928-2002), Irish professional footballer
- Joe Saward (b. 1961), British Formula One journalist
- Eric Saward (b. 1944), British scriptwriter and script editor for the BBC
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
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Saward migration to the United States 
Saward migration to Australia 
England
Ireland
Scotland
