Seymor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Seymor is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Seymor family lived in Monmouthshire. Their name, however, is a reference to St. Maur, near Avranches, Normandy. ^[1]

"The baronial family of St. Maur, founded by the warrior of Hastings, became extinct in the chief male line at the decease in 1499 of Richard, 6th Lord St. Maur, whose only daughter and heiress, Alice, wedded William, 6th Lord Zouche of Haryngworth. The Seymours, Dukes of Somerset, whose historic greatness needs little of ancestral aid to augment its glory, claim to be a scion of the baronial house, and their pretensions may be sustained by the valuable authority of Camden." ^[2]

Early Origins of the Seymor family

The surname Seymor was first found in Monmouthshire. However, records differ on who was the progenitor of the family. One reference claims that Wido de St. Maur came to England in 1066 but was deceased before 1086 and would have therefore not appeared in the Domesday Book. His son William Fits-Wido held a barony in Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucester and ten manors in Somerset. ^[3]

"A Gilbertine priory, in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was founded [in Poulton, Gloucestershire] about 1347, by Sir Thomas de Sancto Mauro, or Seymor." ^[4]

Another reference claims they were descended from Roger Sancto Maure who lived during the reign of Henry I and was Lord of Seymour Castle. ^[5]

Early History of the Seymor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seymor research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1458, 1509, 1537, 1474, 1536, 1547, 1549, 1528, 1593, 1563, 1613, 1599, 1674, 1663, 1646, 1648, 1632, 1708 and are included under the topic Early Seymor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seymor Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Seymor are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Seymor include St. Maur, Seymour, Seymer, Seymar, Seamor, Seamour, Seemour and many more.

Early Notables of the Seymor family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Seymor, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1458. Jane Seymour (1509?-1537), was "third queen of Henry VIII, was eldest of the eight children of Sir John Seymour of Wolf Hall, Savernake, Wiltshire, by Margaret, daughter of Sir John Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk. Her mother's family claimed a distant relationship to the royal family." ^[6] Sir John Seymour, of Wiltshire, KB (c.1474-1536), was English gentry, courtier to King Henry VIII, father of the king's wife Jane Seymour; Edward Seymour...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Seymor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Seymor family to Ireland

Some of the Seymor family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seymor migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Seymor, or a variant listed above:

Seymor Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Seymor, who arrived in Virginia in 1640 ^[7]
Owen Seymor, who landed in Maryland in 1648 ^[7]
Ann Seymor, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 ^[7]

Seymor migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seymor Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Seymor U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 ^[8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Seymor (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General Arthur Seymor Nevins (1891-1979), American Deputy Chief of Staff Supreme Allied Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1943-1945) ^[9]

The Seymor 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: Foy pour devoir
Motto Translation: Faith for duty.

Citations +

^ Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
^ Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
^ The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
^ Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
^ 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
^ Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Arthur Nevins. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Nevins/Arthur_Seymor/USA.html