Savage Family Ancestors
By Mari Wymore
Savage is an ancient and noble family known as Le Sauvage in Normandy France from whence they were first recorded. Unfortunately the archives of the ancient De Sauvage, Lords of Mountbaron, were destroyed in a fire that occurred in the Chateau De Mountbaron in 1615.
The
Savage family entered England William the Conqueror in 1066 and settled in
Derbyshire. This was our great
grandfather Thomas. From Derbyshire the
family branched out into several English counties. In 1177 the family established themselves in Ireland in the
person of our cousin, William, who was one of 22 knights who fought De Courcy
in the subjugation of Ulster, Ireland.
The
family has its share of illustrious men who served their states, the military,
the church and literature even to this day.
The name Savage can be found among the crusaders, warriors knighted,
speaker of the English House of Commons, Bishop and Archbishop of York and as
poets.
GREAT GRANDFATHERS
#1
- Thomas Le Sauvage Born:
Abt. 1000 Died: Aft.
1066
Derbyshire
Thomas came from France with William the Conquer who
invaded England in the battle called
Hastings in 1066. William came with an
army of 8000 strong; 1000 archers, 4000 infantrymen and 3000 knights. The battle for England began the end of
September between King Harold and
William. We all know the outcome of
that battle. William was crowned King
on Christmas day 1066.
#2 - John Le Savage,
Esquire Born: Abt. 1024 Died: After 1090
Derbyshire
#3 - Adam Le Savage Born: Abt 1049 Died: ?
Derbyshire
#4 - Robert Le Savage Born: Abt. 1073 Died: ?
Derbyshire
#5 - John Le Savage, Lord of Stainsby Born: Abt. 1098
Derbyshire
#6 - Geffrey Le Savage, Knight
Born: Abt. 1120 Died:
1190
Knighthood -
Knights were the mounted warrior of medieval times. A man became a knight by being dubbed for
knighthood in a ceremony where he was invested by a noble with a set of
arms. In return for service for a
stated period, garrison duty, payment of feudal service, obligation to give
counsel and aid his lord he received land and his fee.
There were two paths to knighthood. One path was in the service to the
king. The king could knight a man for
his outstanding service on the battlefield.
This was not done often.
The second path to knighthood began at the age of 7 when a
vassal of the king sent his son to a Lord’s house to become a page. For seven years the page is cared for by the
women of the house who instill in him comportment, courtesy, cleanliness and
religion. At the age of 14, the page
becomes a squire and personal attendant to the knight. The knight teaches the squire riding,
hunting, hawking and skills of war. At
the age of 20 the squire is knighted in a religious ceremony where he swears
the knightly code to protect the weak, defenseless and helpless and fight for
the general welfare of all.
Back to Geffrey -
he married into a family from which Shakespeare was maternally descended
years later. Upon his marriage, he was
given the manor Baginton. Geffrey’s
sister died and he received the manor of Badsley Endsor.
Geffrey’s son, William was one of the 22 knights serving
John DeCourcy, who in 1176 invaded Ireland from England. William was given land in Ireland by De
Courcy for his service and instructed to build castles. It is from here that the Savage cousins
branched out into Ireland.
Kiristown Castle in Ireland was built by a cousin, Rowland
Savage in 1622. Today’s Savages can be
found in Antrim, Dublin and Cork.
#7 - John Savage, Lord Stainesby Born
– Abt. 1144 Died: Aft. 1208
Derbyshire
#8 - John Savage Born: Abt. 1185 Died:
Abt. 1249
Derbyshire
#9 - Thomas Savage Born
1250 Died: Aft. 1301
Derbyshire
#10 - Robert Savage Born
Abt. 1320 Died: Aft. 1368
Cheshire
#11 - John Savage Born
Abt. 1343 Died: 1386
Cheshire
Sir John Savage built Bradshaw Manor during the reign of
Henry 8th. The Savage family
were lords of half the area of Cheadle Township at that time.
#12 - John Savage, Knight Born
Abt. 1370 Died: 1450
Cheshire
Knighted by King Henry at the Battle of Agincourt in
1415. This Battle took place during the
time of the Hundred Years War in England.
The war was being fought because of claims by the English monarchs on
the French Throne.
In 1415 King Henry 5th sailed into France were
the Battle of Agincourt was fought. The
battle was fought in a newly plowed field in which it had been raining for
several days. Mud was ankle deep, sometimes
up the knees and sometimes up to the waist.
Horses and men kept the ground stirred up. Many of the deaths were from drowning – falling off your horse in
full armor. The English had the
advantage here because they were bare footed, bare legged and so much more
mobile.
#13 - John Savage, Knight Born:
1403 Died: 1463
Cheshire
#14 - John Savage, Sir Born:
1422 Died: 1495
Macclesfield
John’s son, Thomas, became the Bishop of Rochester in 1493
and then went on to ultimately become the Archbishop of York from
1501-1507. The Archbishop of York is
only 11 positions down in authority from the King.
The Church of Hatfield has the arms of the Savage Family
to include Thomas Savage. Thomas built
the Savage chapel there. (see picture)
Another cousin from this family was Christopher, who lived
in Elmley Castle (see picture). He was
Lord of the manors of Aston Subedge,
Camden, Burlington, and Westington.
One cousin, John, was high sheriff in this area.
Under descendents from William the Conqueror, we find King
Edward the First. Our Great
Grandfather, John, married a descendent of King Edward the First. From there it went several generations
through the children to the 4th President of the U.S., James Madison
and then went on to the 12th U.S. President Zachary Taylor.
#15 - John Savage, Knight of the Garter Born
Abt. 1450. Died 1492.
Cheshire
Sir John served under King Henry in the Battle of Bosworth
in England. For his service King Henry
gave Sir John lands obtained during this battle.
Sir John continued his service to King Henry. When Henry invaded France in the Battle of
Bullen John was killed. The Battle was
between King Richard and King Henry.
King Richard was slain and King Henry the 7th became Tudor
king of England. This ushered in the
Tudor dynasty which began a new era in English History. (see map)
There was a Ballard of Bosworth written and sung by a
poet. There was little written word in
those days so tales were told by poetry and stories were sung. There is a verse
about our grandfather that goes
Sir John Savage that hardy knight, deathes dints he delt
that day with many a whitehood in fith that sad men were att assay.
Adlington hall has the Savage Coat of Arms in it. Cheshire (see picture)
#16 - John Savage Born
1478 Died: 1572
Cheshire
Drowned while bathing at Bourington Ford
#17 - John Savage, Knight Born: 1493 Died: 1528 in North Wales
#18 - John Savage, Knight Born
1505 Died: 1597
Cheshire
Mayor of Chestor 1569, 1574, & 1597
Sheriff of Chester 7 times from 1560-1591
There are Quarter Session files in the binder if you want
to see them.
Through marriage of his daughter, Margaret, comes Breton
Hall (picture)
1586 one of more daring cousins, John Savage, an
ex-soldier was involved in a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth the 1st. Queen Elizabeth was a Protestant. Mary Queen of Scots was Catholic and
claimant to the throne of England. It
was John’s aim along with others to get rid of Elizabeth and install
Catholicism back on the throne. This
was called Babington Plot. The Babington
plot was actually two fold; a plot by
the Spanish to invade England and raise Mary to the English throne and another
plot to assassinate Elizabeth. However
the plot was discovered and John along with six others were convicted of
treason. According to the Book of
Prisoners of the Tower of London, our cousin and two of the men were drawn and
quartered. Because of a public outcry
at the savagry of this the other four prisoners were just hung. Mary Queen of Scots was also killed
later.
#19 - John Savage, Knight Born: 1550 Died: 1615
Cheshire
He was the Mayor of Chester and Sheriff
In 1581 one of our cousins was fined by the Church Court
for placing violent hands on a minister.
#20 - Thomas Savage, Viscount Savage, Baron Savage, Earl of Rivers
Born: 1586 Died: 1635
Cheshire
Earls are right below Dukes in line of power and
authority.
Thomas’ son, John, became the 2nd Earl of
Rivers and Viscount Colchester through his marriage. He owned land in Ireland and England. He attended Oxford College.
He was a member of Parliament.
He raised and was in charge of the Earl River Regiment of Foote
Army. Fought many battles. Served the King Charles Ist with honor
capturing many colors in major battles and sieges .
See photo of Halton Castle.
John is buried in Macclesfield (picture). In the Savage Chapel at Macclesfield is a
statues of our great grandfather Thomas
who was Earl of Rivers and his son John.
(see picture of Runcorn Castle and Halton Castle as well as Rocksavage.
5th Earl of Rivers was John Savage who became a
priest in the Roman Catholic Church.
Because there were no children, the title of Earl of Rivers became
extinct in 1728.
Thomas’ daughter, Anne married Lord Brundenell whose
ancestry goes back to Camilla-Parker-Bowles.
A cousin of this branch of the Savages, Richard Savage,
was a poet. He died in prison at
Bristol in 1742. He was a Bastard
Son.
John was killed at the Battle of Bullen in France.
#21- Thomas Savage Born: 1607 Died: 1681
Born in England.
Died in Massachusetts
Thomas was a major player in the King Phillips war of
1675-1677. King Phillip was an Indian
leader whom the British named King Phillip.
King Phillip was the second son of the chief known as Massassoit in New
England.
Our Great grandfather commanded three-foot companies, a
troop of horse from Massachusetts and a number of Christian Indians.
#22- John Savage Born: 1627 Died: 1684
Came to the US form England immigrating to the
Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1652.
Was a freeman at Hartford, Connecticut in 1654 by the
Great and General Magistrates Court. To be a freeman you must certify your
qualifications that you are honest, peaceable, of civil conversation, 21 years
of age and have an estate of at least 20 pounds according to the law. There was
a fine of 5 pounds if the court found any discrepancies in your certification.
You must also take the Oath of Fidelity to his majesty King James. I have a
copy of the Oath if anyone wants to see it. Also if a freeman walked scandously
or committed any scandalous offers and be legally convicted thereof he was
disfranchised by a civil court.
Founding member of the town of Middletown Upper
Houses now called Cromwell. The settlement of Middletown in 1650 was divided by
the Connecticut River. One side of the
river was lower houses and the other side upper houses and connected by
a ferry. Land in this early settlement was divided into large lots for
cultivation and distributed as land was surveyed and the need arose.
He built his house on 3 acres as seen on the map
of Middletown Upper Houses.
He helped to build a church in Middletown,
Connecticut.
John continued to extend his possessions buying
adjacent lands as they became available and receiving grants to various
localities so that in 1674 he possessed 1207 acres.
John died 1684. I have a copy of his will and the
inventory of his estate that might be of interest since it not only lists
everything he owned but also the value of each item.
We have a copy of his signature on file in the
binder.
John (Sergeant) and his sons were Captains and
Lieutenants in the Train Band. The Train Band was a local militia raised by
each community for protection of the town. Remember in those days they were
still fighting the Indians for land.
I also have a copy of the charter that was
established at the time. Our great grandfathers John and William were officers
I this charter.
#23- William Savage Born: 1668 Died: 1726
Connecticut
William lived in Middletown also. He was a Captain in the
North Company of Middletown in 1719. Deputy to the General Assembly 1715-1726.
Deacon 1716.
Williams son Gideon (our cousin) served in the
Revolutionary war and wrote a diary which is copied in the book if anyone wants
to review it. There is also a picture of a cousins house in 1700’s.
#24 - William Savage Born
1699 Died: 1774
Connecticut.
William lived in Middletown and was a deacon.
One cousin Timothy at age of 15 began his own shipping
career and at 21 was master and owner of a vessel (1780’s). He built several
houses in Upper Houses and eventually a brick mansion. He was engaged in the
West India shipping business in partnership with the British counsel there. He
was an original member of the Baptist Church.
During the revolution Timothy’s father, Josiah Savage was
frequently called out in the militia as well as the elder bouts leaving
9-year-old Timothy at home to look after the women. He relates a time when the
women were destitute of any sugar or any kind of sweetening so they went to a
small field of corn, cut and stripped the leaves, took it to a mill, ground out
the juice and then each taking a portion they boiled it. It was like molasses
and we enjoyed it on our puddings if we could get meal to make them.
There are pictures of some of these Savages contained in
the book. There are pictures of Timothy and Josiah’s houses also.
Four cousins of this time were transported as
criminals from London to New South Wales, Australia to server out sentences of
seven years.
Conditions abroad the ships transporting these prisoners
were considered diabolical. Those who
remained alive when they arrived in Australia were barely able to move their
hands or feet. Some crawled on all
fours. Those who were not able to move
were thrown over the side of the ship.
One could see the marks of the leg irons on the convicts with wounds so
deep they cut to the bone.
Other cousins of this branch of the family serviced in the
American Revolution. One cousin was a
lieutenant in charge of Savage Detachment of 2nd Continental
Artillery in 1777. This unit traded
artillery fire with the British on and off for nearly three weeks loosing only
one man.
#25 - William Savage Born: 1727 Died: 1809
Connecticut
Lived in Middletown and then moved his family to
Sandisfield Massacusetts, then to eastern New York.
Note: In the Revolutionary war between the US and Great
Britain which culminated in American Independence the family of Savage
sustained an honorable part. In 1775;
31 members of the Savage family were soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
#26 - Roger Savage Born
1764 Died: 1806
Canada
Born in Hartford Connecticut moved to Johnstown, Canada.
In sympathy to the British crown, those peoples who were loyal to the British
Crown were organized into the United Empire Loyalists and for their support to
the Crown were given land grants in Leeds and Grenville Counties in Ontario,
Canada.
His son David is the most infamous of this generation.
David joined the Mormon Church in 1840, I have recorded nine wives. David was
instrumental in the early Mormon church at the beginnings of the Church temple at Nauvoo. He traveled
the country representing Joseph Smith. Sometime around 1846 David moved his
family to Iowa and ultimately to Salt Lake city.
#27 - Jehial Savage Born: 1808 Died: 1870
Iowa
Jehials lived in Ontario and immigrated to Iowa. He was a
member of the Mormon church, eventually leaving the Mormon church following the
Strangite movement following James Strang. He then joined the Reorganized
Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. This resulted in his
excommunication from the Later Day Saints Church.
#28 - George Savage Born
1844 Died: 1920
Washington
George Savage life and adventures can be found at the
Stump Ranch website following this link.
http://www.stumpranchonline.com/Savage
#29 - Bert Savage Born: 1868 Died: 1949
Washington
OTHER COUSINS OF INTEREST:
1. 1922 one of our cousins was the first to develop the
technique of skywriting. He was an
English aviator.
2. In the 1900s Michale Savage, a cousin, was a trade socialist,
politician and prime minister of Australia.
3. 1919 Albert Savage was Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial
Court of Maine.
4. Our cousin John Savage was a member of President Abraham
Lincoln’s New York Voluntary Infantry in 1862.
He was a blacksmith by trade at that time.
5. We had several cousins who became prisoners of the Civil War
fighting on the Union side in 1863
6. There is a Ted Savage who was a player with the St. Louis
Cardinals in 1970.
7. 1761 Edward Savage was an American portrait painter and
engraver. he painted several pictures
for Thomas Jefferson. (see copies of
letters between Jefferson and Savage as well as pictures that he painted)
8. 1814 James Savage was working with Thomas Jefferson,
forwarding State papers published by Thomas Waite. I think had to do with the Declaration of Independence.
9. 1902 Marion Savage, a Minneapolis businessman owned and built
a huge racing stable. He was the proud
owner of Dan Patch a renown race horse of his time. Marion bought an entire railway just to transport his beloved
horse to the races. (see pictures)
10. Anyone remember Fred Savage an actor in the Wonder Years series
on TV? (see photos)
11. George Savage corresponded with President Lincoln in an effort
to obtain a dismissal of charges against his son Joseph Savage. Joseph was accused of defrauding the Navy
Department in 1864. (See copy of
letter)