Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Swettenham
Variants: Swetenham
Category: 1 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is in its early stages.
Contact: Mr Richard Swetenham
This study is intended to document all cases of people bearing one of the two names, Swettenham and Swetenham.
The name Swettenham comes from the village of Swettenham in Northwich Hundred in Cheshire.
Ormerod, G., Helsby, T., Leycester, P., Webb, W., Smith, W., King, D. (1882). The history of the county Palatine and city of Chester 2nd ed. rev. and enl. London: G. Routledge. Vol 3 Swettenham Parish and Township p. 72 (HathiTrust).
Peter de Swettenham is recorded as lord of the manor there in the reign of Henry III. see Swettenham of Swettenham pedigree p. 74. The direct male line died out in 1788 and the successors bore the names Eaton-Swettenham and then, under Royal Licence, Warren-Swettenham. There are living representatives of this family.
The variant Swetenham is seen in a family whose seat was only 3 miles away from Swettenham, at Somerford Booths in the Parish of Astbury in Macclesfield Hundred. See Ormerod op. cit. p. 559 Elias de Swetenham is recorded as living temp. Richard I., John, and in 9 Henry III. See Swetenham of Somerford Booths pedigree p. 560. The direct male line died out in 1768 and Roger Swetenham (formerly Comberbach) 1758-1814, whose mother, maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother were Swetenhams, changed his name by Royal Licence. His male line descendants in three branches bear the name of Swetenham.
The pedigrees do not show a common ancestor for the Swettenhams and Swetenhams, although the arms are similar and the family motto is identical - "ex sudore vultus", a pun on the name meaning out of sweat or toil comes beauty.
Only one Swettenham-Swetenham marriage appears over the centuries, Thomas Swettenham living in 1566 who married Elizabeth, daughter of William Swetenham of Somerford Booths, but Thomas and Elizabeth's father respectively were the ancestors of the current representatives of the two families, who are therefore all cousins.
Potential variants - other names starting with Swe where the name also contains t, n and m include Sweatman, Sweetenham, Sweetingham, Sweetman, Sweetnam, Swetman, Swetnam. These are not currently part of the study, except insofar as deviant spellings are identified for people who otherwise fall in scope e.g. Sweetenham for Swetenham.
Dr Janet Few has registered a study: Sweetingham with the variant: Sweetenham and she has been informed of the current study.
Roger Swetenham (formerly Comberbach), mentioned above, appears in Bob Cumberbatch's Cumberbatch study, https://cumberbatch.one-name.net/, one of whose variants is Comberbach, as do his Swetenham parents, grandparents and great-grandfather with some of his descendants, and obviously his Comberbach ancestors and siblings.
A1. Swettenham Births 587, Deaths 438, Marriages 478. Total 1,503 Censuses 1,237 - 196 in 1921 A2. Swetenham Births 84, Deaths 100, Marriages 86. Total 270. Censuses 347 - 42 in 1921
Sources: FreeBMD as at 22.01.2022 - transcriptions ongoing, complete from start of registration in 1837 until ca. 1998 for births, 1990 for marriages and 1986 for deaths Censuses Findmypast for England 1841 - 1921
Many of the Swettenhams and Swetenhams are found in Cheshire and Lancashire. In phase 2 of the project, there will be more detailed data.
Phase 0 of the project is under way - scoping, set up and analysis of working methods to research, extract, conserve and analyse data.
Phase 1 will involve a trial of a web site seeded with existing data on the two names.
Phase 2 will be the main data collection
These will all be added to the web site.
Phase 3 will expand the geographical scope to world-wide
See also