Saxton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Saxton is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Saxton, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 This place-name was originally derived from the Old English Seaxe + tun, collectively meaning Saxon village. 2 The parish was recorded as Saxtun in the Doomsday Book of 1086. 3
Another source postulates the name could have originated in Cambridgeshire at Saxton Hall and/or Saxon Street. 4
The Sexton spelling denotes the office of " 'the sacristan,' now sexton or verger of a church. This, without doubt, has added to the modern directories. Although my instances are few, I suspect it is the parent of many of our Saxtons and Sextons." 5
"'Sexton', [was] originally 'the officer in a church in charge of the sacred vessels and vestments', not, as now, the grave-digger." 4
Early Origins of the Saxton family
The surname Saxton was first found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208 where Jordan de Saxton was listed in Yorkshire and Simon de Sexton was recorded in Cambridgeshire. William Sextain was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and Peter Sexten was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. 4
The Hundredorum Rolls for 1273 includes an entry for Hugh Sacristan in Kent and the Close Rolls, 7 Edward IV (during the seventh year of King Edward IV's reign) list John Sexteyn. 5
Back in Yorkshire, we found Johannes de Saxton and Robertus de Saxton listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5
Early History of the Saxton family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saxton research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1537, 1540, 1556, 1610, 1631, 1732, 1773, 1808, 1838 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Saxton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Saxton Spelling Variations
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Saxton has been spelled many different ways, including Saxton, Saxon, Sefton, Sephton, Septon, Sexton and others.
Early Notables of the Saxton family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Christopher Saxton (c.1540-1610) of Dewsbury, Yorkshire was a British cartographer, who surveyed and mapped the whole of England and Wales. Born of an old Yorkshire family at Tinglow in Mosley Hundred...
Saxton Ranking
In the United States, the name Saxton is the 3,276th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Saxton family to Ireland
Some of the Saxton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Saxton migration to the United States +
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Saxtons to arrive in North America:
Saxton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Giles Saxton, who arrived in Massachusetts with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 aboard the "Ambrose" 7
- Thomas Saxton, who settled in Boston in 1635
- Robert Saxton, who landed in Virginia in 1665 7
Saxton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Ann Saxton, a "transportee from a London workhouse" who arrived in Virginia in 1703
- Edmund Saxton, who arrived in Georgia in 1735
Saxton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Saxton, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1812 7
- Sir Charles Saxton, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina aged 50 in 1820
- Denis, Henry, John and William Saxton, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
- George Saxton, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1849 7
- Edward Saxton, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Saxton migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Saxton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. John Saxton U.E. who settled in St. Mary's, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 8
- Mr. Timothy Saxton U.E. who settled in St. Mary's, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 8
- Mr. William Saxton U.E. who settled in St. Mary's, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 8
Saxton migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Saxton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Saxton, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- William Saxton, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
- John Saxton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Recovery" in 1839 11
Saxton migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Saxton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Charles Waring Saxton, aged 35, a minister, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
- Mary Saxton, aged 21, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
- Clifford Saxton, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
- Lucy Saxton, aged 23, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
- John Waring Saxton, aged 34, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Saxton (post 1700) +
- Martha Porter Saxton (1945-2023), American professor of history and women's and gender studies at Amherst College
- Mark Saxton (1914-1988), American author and editor
- Alexander Plaisted Saxton (1919-2012), American historian, novelist, and university professor, best known as the author of Indispensable Enemy (1975)
- Joseph Saxton (1799-1873), American inventor, inventor of a machine for cutting the teeth of marine chronometer wheels, and an escapement and compensating pendulum for clocks
- Ronald L. Saxton (b. 1954), American politician from Oregon
- Rufus Saxton (1824-1908), American general, Medal of Honor recipient
- Hugh James 'Jim" Saxton (b. 1943), American politician, member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
- Robert "Bobby" Saxton (b. 1943), English former footballer, manager and coach
- Sir Charles Saxton (1732-1808), British Commissioner of the Navy, youngest son of Edward Saxton, a merchant in London
- Andrew Saxton (b. 1964), Canadian politician from North Vancouver, British Columbia
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RECOVERY from London 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Recovery.htm