Cevill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Cevill is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cevill family lived in Yorkshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Saville, in Anjou, France, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 
Roger and Gerard de Sevele or Savale occur in the Norman Exchequer Rolls of 1180-95. 
Early Origins of the Cevill family
The surname Cevill was first found in Yorkshire where "the family of Savile was one of the most illustrious in the West Riding. Some writers have fancifully ascribed to it an Italian origin, but it probably had its rise at Silkston, in this county." 
More specifically, many of the family held estates at Morley, a township and ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Batley, union of Dewsbury. In the war during the reign of Charles I., Howley Hall, here, for eighteen generations the seat of the Saville family, was garrisoned for the parliament; and the church of the ancient parish of Morley was let on lease by Saville, Earl of Sussex, to the Presbyterian party for 500 years: the building is still in possession of trustees as an Independent meetinghouse, forming a solitary exception to the general restitution which took place at the Restoration." 
Stainland in the West Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient family seat. "Bradley Hall, here, the seat of the ancestors of the Earl of Mexborough, which was burnt down in 1629, and subsequently rebuilt, is now a farmhouse." 
Thornhill, again in the West Riding was home to a branch of the family. "This place was the seat of the Thornhill family, for many generations proprietors of the manor, which was conveyed by marriage in 1404 to the Savilles, from whom the estate descended to the second son of Sir George Saville's sister: that lady had been married to Richard, Earl of Scarborough, ancestor of the present owner. The church is an ancient and venerable structure, chiefly in the early English style, with a square embattled tower: on the south side of the chancel is a chapel containing numerous monuments to the Saville family, one of which, entirely of oak, has the effigies of Sir John Saville and his two wives." 
Early History of the Cevill family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cevill research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1644, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1633, 1695, 1665, 1700, 1642, 1687, 1673, 1679, 1680 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Cevill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cevill 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 Cevill 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 Cevill include Savile, Savill, Saville, Seville and others.
Early Notables of the Cevill family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir George Savile, 1st Baronet; Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet (1612-1644), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in 1640 and Old Sarum (1641-1642); George Savile, 1st Marquess of...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cevill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Cevill family
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