Sexson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Sexson is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Saxton, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 This place-name was originally derived from the Old English Seaxe + tun, collectively meaning Saxon village. 2 The parish was recorded as Saxtun in the Doomsday Book of 1086. 3

Another source postulates the name could have originated in Cambridgeshire at Saxton Hall and/or Saxon Street. 4

The Sexton spelling denotes the office of " 'the sacristan,' now sexton or verger of a church. This, without doubt, has added to the modern directories. Although my instances are few, I suspect it is the parent of many of our Saxtons and Sextons." 5

"'Sexton', [was] originally 'the officer in a church in charge of the sacred vessels and vestments', not, as now, the grave-digger." 4

Early Origins of the Sexson family

The surname Sexson was first found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208 where Jordan de Saxton was listed in Yorkshire and Simon de Sexton was recorded in Cambridgeshire. William Sextain was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and Peter Sexten was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls for 1273 includes an entry for Hugh Sacristan in Kent and the Close Rolls, 7 Edward IV (during the seventh year of King Edward IV's reign) list John Sexteyn. 5

Back in Yorkshire, we found Johannes de Saxton and Robertus de Saxton listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

Early History of the Sexson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sexson research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1537, 1540, 1556, 1610, 1631, 1732, 1773, 1808, 1838 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sexson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sexson Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Sexson family name include Saxton, Saxon, Sefton, Sephton, Septon, Sexton and others.

Early Notables of the Sexson family

Distinguished members of the family include Nicholas Shaxton (1485?-1556), Bishop of Salisbury, born probably about 1485, a native of the diocese of Norwich. He may have been a younger brother of one Thomas Shaxton of Batheley (or Bale) in Norfolk who, according to one pedigree, died in April 1537. 6Christopher Saxton (c.1540-1610) of Dewsbury, Yorkshire was a...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sexson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sexson family to Ireland

Some of the Sexson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sexson family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Sexson surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Giles Saxton, who came to Salem Massachusetts in 1630; John Sexton, who came to Virginia in 1635; Richard Sexton, who was on record in Boston Massachusetts in 1635.

Contemporary Notables of the name Sexson (post 1700) +

Joe Sexson (1934-2011), American college basketball coach
Richmond Lockwood "Richie" Sexson (b. 1974), American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played from 1997 to 2008

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print