SEWELL

SEWEL. SEWELL. Sewallis is a very ancient personal name, particularly in the family of Shirley, Earl Ferrers. A Sewallis, who certainly possessed Lower Eatington, co. AVarwick, before the Conquest, is said to have been a " noble Saxon, issuing from the royal dukes of Saxony," (Stemmata Shirleiana, p. 5) ; but this is unsupported by any evidence. The name latinized Sewallis was doubtless Sewall or Sawald, a not uncommon baptismal appellation in Saxon times, and not improbably identical with the Ceadwal or Cedwalla of the days of the Heptarchy. Sewall is the spelling still retained in America, but in England Sewell (often modified to Shewell) is the prevailing form. It must not be forgotten, however, that in some instances the name may be local. Four places called Sewelle occur in Domesday ; and a John de Sewell was a follower of the Black Prince into Aquitaine. Eymer's Feed., c. 136G.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.