Swadley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Swadley was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Swadlincote which was held by Nigel of Stafford, son of Roger de Stafford, a Norman Baron, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Swadley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swadley research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1600 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Swadley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swadley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Swadling, Swadley, Swadlin, Swadlincote, Swaddle and many more.

Early Notables of the Swadley family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Swadley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.