Sled History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Sled 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 Sled 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 Sled 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 Sled family

The surname Sled 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 Sled family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sled 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 Sled History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sled 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 Sled family

Notable amongst the family at this time was William Slade (fl. 1380), English philosopher, a Cistercian monk of Buckfastleigh, Devonshire; Matthew Slade (1569-1628?), English divine, born at...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sled Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sled family to Ireland

Some of the Sled 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.

Sled migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Sled:

Sled Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Sled, who landed in Virginia in 1648 10
Edward Sled, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 10

The Sled 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.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)