Show ContentsSawkins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Sawkins family

The surname Sawkins was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Sawkins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sawkins research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1463, 1487, 1510, 1600 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Sawkins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sawkins Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Sawkins has undergone many spelling variations, including Salkyns, Salkins, Salekins, Sallykins, Sallikin, Sallykins and many more.

Early Notables of the Sawkins family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Richard Sawkins (Hawkins) (died 1680), a British buccaneer who participated in the Pacific Adventure, a privateering expedition headed by Captain John Coxon


United States Sawkins migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Sawkins were among those contributors:

Sawkins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Sawkins, who landed in Virginia in 1703 1

Australia Sawkins migration to Australia +

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

Sawkins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Sawkins, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" 2


  1. 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)
  2. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SURGE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/surge1852.shtml


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