Slade History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The Slade history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Slade history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Slade family originally lived in Cornwall. Their name, however, is derived from the Old English word slaed, meaning valley, and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived in a valley. 1

"This word has been variously defined as a valley, a hollow, a den, a hanging wood, a plain, a breadth of green land in fields and plantations." 2

Slade or Slad is "a hamlet, partly in the parish of Painswick, and partly in that of Stroud, union of Stroud, hundred of Bisley, E. division of the county of Gloucester." 3

Early Origins of the Slade family

The surname Slade was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat from very early times.

"About the year 1600, [the Trevascus estate in the parish of Gorrran] passed with its heiress to the Hoblyns, of whose descendant, the Rev. Robert Hoblyn, it was purchased by William Slade Gully, Esq. the late proprietor. The barton house has been demolished. Trevenen, the seat of the late W. S. Gully, Esq. has been the residence of his ancestors the Slades, from the days of Elizabeth." 4

"Slade, [Devon] with its fine hall, once the seat of the family of that name, has long been the residence of the Spurrells, and their descendants, the Podes." 5 Unfortunately, no dates were given with this last quote. In Devon, William Slade was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary in 1397.

Early rolls including entries for Sabern de la Slade in Essex in 1255, according to the Feet of Fines. There was a Manx entry for Reginald atte Slade in 1306 and Walter in the Salde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 6

In Somerset, Henry atte Slade was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III' reign.) 7 "The Slades of Somerset take the name of a hamlet in the county." 8 The Close Rolls of 1346 include John atte Slade. 9

Early History of the Slade family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slade research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1380, 1569, 1574, 1596, 1597, 1615, 1628, 1645 and 1689 are included under the topic Early Slade History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slade Spelling Variations

Cornish 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 Slade, Slader and others.

Early Notables of the Slade family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Slade World Ranking

In the United States, the name Slade is the 2,364th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 10 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Slade is ranked the 153rd most popular surname with an estimated 252 people with that name. 11 And in Australia, the name Slade is the 963rd popular surname with an estimated 4,114 people with that name. 12 The United Kingdom ranks Slade as 843rd with 8,023 people. 13

Migration of the Slade family to Ireland

Some of the Slade 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.


Slade migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Slade arrived in North America quite early:

Slade Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Slade Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Slade Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Slade migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Slade Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Slade Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Slade migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Slade Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Slade 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:

Slade Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Slade 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. 21
Slade Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Slade (post 1700) +


The Slade 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: Fidus et audax
Motto Translation: Faithful and bold.


Suggested Readings for the name Slade +
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