Sail History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The lineage of the name Sail begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the county of Cheshire, where they held the estate of Sale. The surname Sail was originally derived form the Old English word soel which refers to a hall. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sail were either servants at the hall or resided near a dining hall. 1

Early Origins of the Sail family

The surname Sail was first found in Cheshire but the family can be found throughout ancient Britain in early years. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Robert a la Sale. Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III lists Nicholas de la Sale, temp. 20 Edward I and William de la Sale. Robert de la Sale was Bailiff of Norwich in 1327. 2

"About the time of Edward I., Thomas, son of William De la Sale, held twelve acres of land in Ickleford, Hertfordshire. According to Cussans, the Hertfordshire Sales hailed from Scotland nearly two centuries ago, and he mentions Francis Sale, a gentleman who was married at Ashwell in 1694." 3

Early History of the Sail family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sail research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1612, 1652, 1655, 1659, 1664, 1670, 1671, 1675, 1682, 1697, 1734 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Sail History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sail Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Sail has undergone many spelling variations, including Sale, Sail, Sales, Salle, Salley, Sally, Sallete, Sallett and many more.

Early Notables of the Sail family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Sayle (c. 1590-1675), English explorer and later settler of the Bahamas, the first governor of colonial South Carolina from 1670-1671; and George Sale (1697-1736), English Orientalist and solicitor, best known for his 1734 translation of the Qur'an into English and as author of...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sail Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sail family to Ireland

Some of the Sail family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 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 Sail family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Sail were among those contributors: Edward Sale settled in Boston in 1635; William, James, Mary and John Sale settled in Charles Town, South Carolina, in 1767; John Sales and his wife settled in Salem in 1630.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.