Savage Family Ancestors

By Mari Wymore



Mari Wymore's reports at the Annual Picnics are a highlight as she continually updates her research on Savage Ancestry. Click this link if you want a larger copy of this photo.

 

 

 

 

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)