Show ContentsSneyd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Sneyd family

The surname Sneyd was first found in Staffordshire where one of the first on record was Henry de Sneyd who married Margaret, the daughter and heiress of Nicholas de Tunstall, of the Tunstalls of Lancashire and Yorkshire, in 1310. "The noble race of Sneyds, of great worship and account, appear to be denominated from Snead, a hamlet in the parish of Tunstall, in this county, where they were seated as early as the reign of Henry III.

By marriage with the heiress of Tunstall they had other lands in that parish, and for two descents were called Sneyd alias Tunstall." 1 "The arms of this family are a 'curiosity of heraldry,' being partly of the allusive kind, and consisting of a scythe and a fleur-de-lis. The pun is in the handle of the scythe, provincially called a snead. The fleur-de-lis said to have been added by Richard de Tunstall; alias Sneyd, after the battle of Poictiers; but I should rather consider it to have been part of the original device." 2

The parish of Keele in the union of Newcastle-under-Lyme, the hundred of Pirehill in Staffordshire was a stronghold of the family since the mid 15th century through the 1940s. "The church, a neat embattled stone edifice with a tower, on an elevated site at the east end of the village, was built in 1790, principally at the expense of Colonel Sneyd; it contains about 350 sittings. " 3

Early History of the Sneyd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sneyd research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1581, 1614, 1660, 1663 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Sneyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sneyd Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sneyd, Sneed, Snead, Sneade, Sneeds and others.

Early Notables of the Sneyd family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Ralph Sneyd, who in 1581 had a manor built at Keel(e) which was later taken down and then rebuilt 1
  • William Sneyd (ca. 1614-1695), of Keele, Staffordshire, an English politician, Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in 1660, High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1663

Migration of the Sneyd family to Ireland

Some of the Sneyd 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.


Sneyd migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sneyd Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Nathanial Sneyd, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1858

Sneyd migration to Australia +

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

Sneyd Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • George Sneyd, aged 28, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"

Contemporary Notables of the name Sneyd (post 1700) +

  • Honora Sneyd (1751-1780), birth name of Honora Edgeworth, an English writer from Bath, known for her associations with Anna Seward and the Lunar Society, and for her work on children's education
  • Marc Sneyd (b. 1991), English professional rugby league footballer
  • Samuel Sneyd (b. 1936), English international cricketer
  • Robert Sneyd (b. 1943), English professional footballer
  • Ralph Sneyd (d. 1650), English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons
  • Nathaniel Sneyd (1767-1833), Irish politician, Member of Parliament for Carrick (1794–1800) and for Cavan County (1800-1801), Member of the UK parliament for Cavan (1801-1826) and for Enniskillen (1806–1807), High Sheriff of Cavan (1795)


The Sneyd 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: Nec opprimere nec opprimi
Motto Translation: Neither to oppress nor to be oppressed.


  1. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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