Show ContentsSalkelds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Salkelds family

The surname Salkelds was first found in Cumberland where the Pipe Rolls of 1210 list Hamo de Salkil as holding lands there at that time. Sixty years later, Thomas de Salkild was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279. 1

Great and Little Salkeld date back to c. 1110 when they were collectively known as Salchild having been derived from the Old English "salh" + hylte" and literally meant "sallow-tree wood." 2

Another source claims the place name is from the Viking "selia" + "kelda" and literally meant "the willow tree spring."

"There is a mineral spring on the common having chalybeate properties." 3

"The family so called, very influential in Cumberland in the XIV. century, probably derived their name from either Great or Little Salkeld, in that county." 4

"The church tower [of Great Salkeld], which appears to have contained four rooms one above another, was formerly resorted to as a place of security, and under it is a dungeon." 5

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III had two listing for the family in Cumberland: John de Salkild; and Thomas de Salkeld. Both were listed "20 Edward I," or in other words "during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign." 6

Early History of the Salkelds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Salkelds research. Another 212 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1475, 1544, 1560, 1576, 1593, 1610, 1613, 1635, 1646, 1651, 1652, 1659, 1660, 1671, 1688, 1699 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Salkelds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salkelds Spelling Variations

Before 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 Salkelds include Salkeld, Salked, Salkeed, Salkelds and others.

Early Notables of the Salkelds family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • John Salkeld (1576-1660), was an English Catholic renegade and author, descended from the Salkelds of Corby Castle, Cumberland. "He was possibly of Queen's College, Oxford, but did not graduate, and w...

Ireland Migration of the Salkelds family to Ireland

Some of the Salkelds family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Salkelds family

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: Fred and George Salked arrived in New Orleans in 1820; Thomas Salkeld settled in Virginia in 1728.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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