Scaitcliff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Scaitcliff is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Scaitcliff family once lived in the area known as Sutcliffe which had three locations in the county of Yorkshire. The surname Scaitcliff is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel. In this case the surname was originally derived from the Old English words sùd meaning south and clif meaning slope or cliff. Therefore the original bearers of the name were referred to as the dwellers by the south cliffs.

Early Origins of the Scaitcliff family

The surname Scaitcliff was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

The name was originally spelled Cartcliff, later becoming Skatcliffe, late Scaytcliffe, later Scaitliffe, later Scaytcliffe, later Skaitcliff, and later particularly when the branches included Yorkshire, Sutcliffe. From about 1470 the Crossleys acquired Skatclyffe Hall in the parish of Rochdale in Lancashire, and continued a series of intermarriages with their cousins in Yorkshire.

Early History of the Scaitcliff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scaitcliff research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1550 and 1629 are included under the topic Early Scaitcliff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scaitcliff 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 Scaitcliff family name include Sutcliff, Sutcliffe, Sutliff, Southcliffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Scaitcliff family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scaitcliff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Scaitcliff 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 Scaitcliff surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Sara and William Sutcliff and their 21 year old son Robert, who settled in New York in 1820; James Sutcliffe settled in Virginia in 1729; George, John, Joseph, Samuel and William Sutcliffe arrived in Philadelphia between 1841 and 1876..

The Scaitcliff 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: Foy en tout
Motto Translation: Faith in all