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![Show Contents]() Scawell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The proud Scawell family originated in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Scawell family originally lived in Cornwall. The name, however, is derived from the Old German word scouwon, meaning to look, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a lookout point such as a hill or cliff. Early Origins of the Scawell familyThe surname Scawell was first found in Cornwall where they were Lords of the Manor of Melenick in that shire and held a family seat, some say, before the Norman Conquest in the year 1066. "Molineck, [in the parish of St. Germans, Cornwall] which has been an ancient seat of the Scawens, was purchased about 1780." 1 Early History of the Scawell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scawell research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1595, 1600, 1602, 1640, 1644, 1670, 1689, 1722 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Scawell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Scawell Spelling VariationsCornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Scawen, Scawan, Scawell and others. Early Notables of the Scawell familyNotable amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Scawen of Cashalton; William Scawen (1600-1689), English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War, he was one of the pioneers in...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scawell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Scawell migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2Scawell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Richard Scawell, who arrived in Barbados in 1680 with his servants
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Scawell migration to West Indies 
