Sedgwake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Sedgwake is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the township of Sedgewick in the parish of Heversham in Westmorland.

Early Origins of the Sedgwake family

The surname Sedgwake was first found in Sussex where the family held an ancient castle and manor near Horsham. 1 Horsham "is supposed to have derived its name from Horsa, the brother of Hengist, who is said to have been interred in the immediate vicinity, in 457, after the battle with Vortimer, near Aylesford, in which he was slain." 2

Early History of the Sedgwake family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sedgwake research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1558, 1573, 1600, 1610, 1611, 1656, 1658 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Sedgwake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sedgwake Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Sedgwake has been recorded under many different variations, including Sedgewick, Sedgewicke, Sedgwicke, Sedwick and many more.

Early Notables of the Sedgwake family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Sedgwick (Segiswycke) (d. 1573), an English Roman Catholic theologian. Under Queen Mary he became Regius professor of divinity at Cambridge in 1557, and in 1558 both rector of Stanhope, Durham and vicar of Gainford, Durham. William Sedgwick (ca.1610-1669), was an English Puritan and mystic, born in Bedfordshire, son of William Sedgwick of London. He was known as the "Apostle of the Isle of Ely" and "Doomsday Sedgwick." Obadiah Sedgwick (c.1600-1658), was an English...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sedgwake Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sedgwake family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Sedgwake or a variant listed above: Major General Robert Sedgwick (c. 1611-1656), who settled at Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1635; Joe and Mary Sedgwick who settled in Virginia in 1679.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.