Cavie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Cavie name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the settlement named Cave in the East Riding of Yorkshire; this area has become the county of Humberside in modern times. The name of this settlement is derived from the name of a nearby river, which in turn derived its name from the Old English word caf, which means swift. The surname Cavie may also be a variation of the Anglo-Norman name Chaff, a nickname for a bald man. The derivation is from the Old French word chauf, which means bald.

In this latter case, the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed "Adelina de Cava, and John Cave of Normandy, 1180-95. Wyomar had a grant of Cave, Yorkshire, c. 1090, from Alan, Earl of Richmond and Margaret de Cave and Richard de Cave held from the Church of York c. 1140. The occurrence of the name in Normandy shows the origin of the family, though its name was derived from England." 1

Early Origins of the Cavie family

The surname Cavie was first found in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northamptonshire. Stanford in Northamptonshire has a most interesting story about the family.

"Shortly after the Conquest, Guy de Reinbudcurt, one of the Norman companions of William, sold the lordship to Benedict, abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Selby, in Yorkshire. In 1471, John Cave died [as] vicar of Stanford, having, probably, been presented to the living by his brother, then abbot of Selby. After the Dissolution, the manor and advowson were granted by Henry VIII., for the sum of £1194. 3. 4., to Thomas Cave, Esq. The old manor-house of Stanford Hall was situated on the left bank of the Avon in this county; about 1680 it was pulled down by Sir Roger Cave, and a new building was commenced on the right bank, in the county of Leicester, which was completed in 1737. In the church is a series of monuments of the Caves, knights and baronets, commencing in 1558, and all in excellent preservation." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Roger de Cave in Lincolnshire; and Robert de Cave in Buckinghamshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus del Cave as living there and holding lands at that time. 3

Early History of the Cavie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cavie research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1568, 1637, 1655, 1657, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1690, 1691, 1703, 1705, 1713, 1719 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Cavie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavie 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 Cavie were recorded, including Cave, Cayve, Caive, Caves, Caives, Cayves, Cavey, Cavie, Cavy and many more.

Early Notables of the Cavie family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Ambrose Cave (d. 1568), Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, fourth son of Roger Cave of Stanford, Northamptonshire; Sir Thomas Cave, 1st Baronet; and his son, Sir Roger Cave, 2nd Baronet (1655-1703), an English politician, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1679-1680) and Member of Parliament for Coventry (1685-1690); and his son, Sir Thomas Cave, 3rd Baronet DL (1681-1719), a British Tory politician, Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in 1705; and William Cave (1637-1713), an English divine and patristic scholar, born in 1637 at Pickwell in Leicestershire, of...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cavie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavie 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 Cavie family emigrate to North America:

Cavie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christian Cavie, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 4

The Cavie Motto +

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: Cave Deus videt
Motto Translation: Beware! God sees.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)