Southay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Southay arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Southay family lived in Lincolnshire, in the parish of Sotebi, (Sotby) in the union of Horncastle, E. division of the wapentake of Wraggoe, parts of Lindsey. 1 Traditionally a very small parish, in the late 1800's the population was 156 but today about 100 people live there.

Interestingly, the parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Sotebi at that time. Literally, the place name means "farmstead or village of a man called Soti," from the Viking personal name + "by." 2

Early Origins of the Southay family

The surname Southay was first found in Lincolnshire where shortly after the Conquest, Ralph of Sotby held the village and church of Sotebi from the Bishop of Bayeux. 3

This village church is still famous for its Norman chancel arch. Dedicated to Saint Peter, the church dates from the 12th century, and was restored in 1857 by Michael Drury, an English architect.

While this origin is the preferred, we would be remiss if we did not include another possible origin, at Southrey, another village in the civil parish of Bardney in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. This village dates back to the Domesday Book as well. In this case, the village was known as Sutreie at that time. And in this case, the village literally meant "southerly island. " 2

Simon Southrey or Sotherey (fl. 1396), a Benedictine monk, may have taken his name from Southrey. "A monk of St. Albans and a doctor of divinity of Oxford, he had become by 1389 prior of the Benedictine hostelry in that university. In 1389 Southrey successfully resisted Archbishop Courtenay's proposed visitation of the Oxford house. " 4

Early History of the Southay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Southay research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1500, 1594, 1623, 1654, 1656, 1659, 1683 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Southay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Southay Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Sotheby, Sothaby, Sotherby, Southerby, Southby, Southey and many more.

Early Notables of the Southay family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Southay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Southay family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Southay or a variant listed above were: Henry and Elizabeth Southey who settled in Virginia with their children Mary and Thomas in 1623; Dan Southerby settled in Virginia in 1653; Mary Southerby settled in New England in 1755..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print