Show ContentsSottewell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Sottewell is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the parish of Southwell found in the county of Nottingham.

Early Origins of the Sottewell family

The surname Sottewell was first found in Nottinghamshire where "the family are of great antiquity as lords of Southwell, till the reign of Henry VI. They afterwards settled in Norfolk and Suffolk, whence the ancestor of Viscount Southwell removed to Ireland temp. James I." 1

Henry de Suthwell was listed in Nottinghamshire in 1360 as was Richard Sowthwell in 1451. 2 Richard de Southwell was listed in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1474. 3

Woodrising, Norfolk was an ancient family seat. "The manor was formerly the property of the Southwell family, of whom Sir Richard was chancellor to Edward VI., and Sir Robert secretary for Ireland in the reign of Charles II." 4

Early History of the Sottewell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sottewell research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1504, 1561, 1564, 1592, 1595, 1598, 1607, 1623, 1626, 1631, 1635, 1637, 1665, 1667, 1671, 1676, 1677, 1678, 1682, 1688, 1689, 1690, 1695, 1697, 1698, 1702, 1713, 1717, 1720, 1729, 1730, 1766 and 1912 are included under the topic Early Sottewell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sottewell Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Sottewell family name include Southwell, Sothwell and others.

Early Notables of the Sottewell family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Richard Southwell (1504-1564), English courtier, English Privy Councillor from Windham Manor, Norfolk. His grandfather, Sir Richard Southwell of Barham Hall, Suffolk, acquired Woodrising in Norfolk by his marriage with Amy, daughter and coheiress of Sir Edmund Wichingham. Richard, owing to the deaths of his father and uncle, was heir to great wealth. Robert Southwell (c. 1561-1595), also known as Saint Robert Southwell, an English Roman Catholic priest of the Jesuit Order, canonized by Pope Paul VI as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was third son of Richard...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sottewell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Sottewell family to Ireland

Some of the Sottewell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 197 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sottewell family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Sottewell surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Susannah Southwell who settled in Maryland in 1775; George and Thomas Southwell arrived in Pennsylvania in 1855. In Newfoundland, William Southwell settled in St. John's in 1830.



The Sottewell 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 male notus eques
Motto Translation: A knight not badly known.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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