Hi Ian, I think you're on the right track. Over the past year I have managed to assemble my paternal family from before parish records from Wills, Deeds and any other old documents I could find that mentioned them. The UK National Archives is one source, and British History Online is another. In addition, I have downloaded hundreds of books from Internet Archive and searched through them for early references. Sooner of later, you may have enough information to pinpoint the location where the family started. That is, if the surname wasn't one that popped up independently. Do you have any idea of the origins of the surname SAGE? The family I had success with was my DAVIDGE people. The surname is rare and not derived from an occupation. It may have been a version of a Norman surname, but I haven't found any links. My first records are in the 1300s and they all led me back to Buckhorn Weston, Dorset. The family appeared to be wealthy farmers, not nobility, and from there the sons branched out all over Somerset, Dorset & Wiltshire. Once you get that far back, it is really a hard slog, but when you do find something that links your family together, its a great feeling. I have a SAGE connection in my very extended family tree, so I am always interested to read information about the surname. I have filed your eMail away and if I ever get back that far, it may be helpful. Regards, Nancy Frey Newcastle, Ontario, CANADA OPC for Ansford & Castle Cary, Somerset Owner/Moderator of Yahoo! FULFORD_North Devon Group Owner/Moderator of Yahoo! DAVIDGE Connections Group ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Sage" <ian.sage@tiscali.co.uk> To: <GLOUCESTER@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 4:49 AM Subject: [GLS] Early SAGEs in Gloucestershire > Hello all, > > My SAGE ancestors can be traced with certainty to mid-18th century > Yatton, Somerset, then disappear in a haze. In general, the name is > highly regionalised in an arc from Bristol through the Somerset coal > field down to Wells. Further concentrations of the name occur in East > Devon/West Somerset, in the Suffolk/Essex area (probably unrelated to > the Somerset families) and a small group in Scotland. > > However, the earliest reference I have to the name is in 1277, when John > SAGE granted 100 solidates of land at "Brickhampton" (Brockhampton?) > Gloucs to the recently founded Hailes Abbey. > Later, in 1312 John SAGE sold arable, meadow and yard-lands at Lower > Swell, Gloucs to Hailes Abbey. This could be a different John, but I > guess the balance of probability is that they are at least closely related. > In 1327 John SAGE's estate at Lower Swell, Gloucs was assessed for 4s 2d > - nearly half the value of the vill. > > By 1341 I have my first mention of SAGE in Somerset. > > All this is some 400 years earlier than I am used to researching, and I > certainly do not expect to link these records with my own family. But I > am trying to understand what Sage families were around at early dates > and assess whether these Gloucestershire SAGEs may also have moved to > Somerset. So the questions: > > 1. Is anyone aware of other records relating to the SAGE name at early > dates? > 2. Are there any scholars on list who can give me advice on searching > for the name at this early period? In particular, is there a good > approach to try to find out what became of this presumed family? > > Many thanks for any help or advice, > > Ian > _____________________________________________ > > Gloucestershire Family History Society: > www.gfhs.org.uk > > Gloucestershire Archives: > www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=15434 > > Gloucestershire BMD Index 1837 to 2005: > http://ww3.gloucestershire.gov.uk/bmd/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GLOUCESTER-request@rootsweb.com with the > word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

On 09/08/2011 22:06, Nancy Frey wrote: > Hi Ian, > > I think you're on the right track. Hello Nancy, Many thanks for your encouragement and advice. It's not clear where the SAGE name comes from; there are contradictory accounts in surname dictionaries and other references. There are a lot of SAGEs in France, and a French/Norman origin is a strong possibility. There are also a number of le Sage and de Sageville families. I note there are also a few Norwegian SAGEs, and there is a Sage homestead in Norway. I can fantasise that the name spread with Vikings to Normandy and thence with the Normans into England - but fantasy it is! Anyhow, as I said, I don't really have the conceit that I'll ever attach my family to any of the lines at this early date, but I am interested to see how the name arose in the Gloucester/Somerset border area and I am certainly learning a lot. Best wishes, Ian