Cayves History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Cayves comes from when the family resided 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 Cayves 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 Cayves family

The surname Cayves 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 Cayves family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cayves 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 Cayves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cayves Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cayves has been recorded under many different variations, including Cave, Cayve, Caive, Caves, Caives, Cayves, Cavey, Cavie, Cavy and many more.

Early Notables of the Cayves 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 Cayves Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cayves family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cayves or a variant listed above: was the branch which settled in Virginia in the year 1640. The history of this branch of the family name is found in Hayden's Virginia Genealogies; Joe Cave settled in St. Christopher in 1635.

The Cayves 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)