Swetmann

Male
DWP
4 of 5

Discussion of the name

Swetmann is an Old English masculine name comprising the elements swēte ‘sweet’ and mann ‘person, man’, and it was probably one of the hypocoristic names in ‑mann that occur in late Old English (von Feilitzen 1937: 381-2; Insley 2003: 375, 379). One of the DB forms of the name has an initial ‹f› instead of ‹s› because of scribal error.

The earliest recorded bearer was Swetmann 1, a brother at Abingdon Abbey in the late tenth or early eleventh century. Swetmann 2 was the portreeve of London prior to the Conquest and the name occurs in the city throughout the twelfth century (Ekwall 1947: 65-6). There were also several moneyers called Swetmann who were active at the London, Northampton and Oxford mints at various dates between 1029 and 1066, namely Swetmann 4-9 (corresponding to Swetman 1-6 in PASE). It is probable that one of these, or another of that name, was also active at the Southwark mint (Freeman 1985: 187, 190, 193).

Bibliography

Ekwall 1947: E. Ekwall, Early London Personal Names (Lund, 1947)

von Feilitzen 1937: O. von Feilitzen, The Pre-Conquest Personal Names of Domesday Book, Nomina Germanica 3 (Uppsala, 1937)

Freeman 1985: A. Freeman, The Moneyer and the Mint in the Reign of Edward the Confessor 1042-1066, British Archaeological Reports, British series 145 (Oxford: B. A. R., 1985)

Insley 2003: J. Insley, ‘Pre-Conquest personal names’, Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 23, Pfalzel – Quaden (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2003), 367-96

Forms of the name

Spellings in Domesday Book: Fuetman [recte Suetman], Sueteman, Suetman(us)

Forms in modern scholarship:

  von Feilitzen head forms: Swētmann

  Phillimore edition: Sweetman

  Alecto edition: Swetman, Swetmann 

Distribution map of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

List of property and lordships associated with this name in DB

Holder 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Bedfordshire 55,12 Chicksands Sueteman Swetmann 'of Chicksands' Wulfmær of Eaton Socon Azeline wife of Ralph Taillebois Walter the monk 1.00 1.50 1.00 C Map
Norfolk 9,56 Claxton - Swetmann 'of Claxton' - Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.25 0.15 0.15 C Map
Norfolk 9,56 Claxton Suetman Swetmann 'of Claxton' Stigand, archbishop of Canterbury Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.25 0.48 0.48 C Map
Suffolk 7,77 Burgate Suetmanus Swetmann 'of Burgate' Northmann the sheriff Roger Bigod Northmann the sheriff 0.05 0.11 0.11 D Map
Suffolk 7,80 Burgh Suetmanus Swetmann 'of Burgate' Northmann the sheriff Roger Bigod Northmann the sheriff 0.06 0.13 0.13 D Map
Totals

Lord 1066

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Norfolk 9,56 Claxton - 13 half-free men Swetmann Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.42 0.79 0.79 D Map
Norfolk 9,56 Claxton Suetman 15 free men Swetmann Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.25 0.48 0.48 C Map
Norfolk 9,57 Ashby St Mary - 10 free men Swetmann Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.25 0.48 0.48 D Map
Norfolk 9,57 Ashby St Mary - 7 half-free men Swetmann Roger Bigod Robert de Vaux 0.23 0.43 0.43 D Map
Norfolk 9,58 Hellington - 1 half-free man Swetmann Roger Bigod - 0.07 0.13 0.13 D Map
Norfolk 9,59 Carleton St Peter - 1 free man Swetmann Roger Bigod - 0.04 0.08 0.08 D Map
Totals

Subtenant in 1086

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Northamptonshire 45,3 Croughton Suetman Esgar the staller - Geoffrey de Mandeville Swetmann 0.20 0.20 0.15 C Map
Oxfordshire B10 Oxford Suetman - - William, king Swetmann 0.00 0.00 0.15 - Map
Oxfordshire B10 Oxford Suetman - - William, king Swetmann 0.00 0.00 0.03 - Map
Oxfordshire B10 Oxford Suetman - - William, king Swetmann the moneyer 0.00 0.00 0.17 - Map
Oxfordshire B10 Oxford Suetman - - William, king Swetmann 0.00 0.00 0.04 - Map
Totals

Sub-subtenant in 1086

Shire Phil. ref. Vill DB Spelling Holder 1066 Lord 1066 Tenant-in-Chief 1086 1086 Subtenant Fiscal Value 1066 Value 1086 Value Conf. Show on Map
Suffolk 7,77 Burgate Suetmanus Swetmann 'of Burgate' Northmann the sheriff Roger Bigod Northmann the sheriff 0.05 0.11 0.11 D Map
Totals