Recorded in several forms including Savarin, Severin, Savary, Savaric (France & Belgium), Savory, Savoury, Savary, Savery, de Savery, and others (English & Scottish) this is a surname of ultimately Germanic origins. It is said to derive from the pre 5th century personal name Salvari, which may have had the meaning of 'wild power'. It was introduced into England by the Norman-French at the Invasion of England in 1066 as Savaric. The surname developed from this spelling, like most surnames is medieval and 13th century (see below). Other early recordings include William Savery in the Hundred Rolls of the county of Leicestershire in the year 1276, and Robert Saurrai in the Subsidy Tax Rolls of Sussex in 1332. Later church register recordings include William Saverie who was christened on December 26th 1570 at Lambourn in the county of Berkshire, William Savory, christened on August 1627, at St. Botolph's Bishopsgate, in the city of London, and An (as written) Savoury, christened on July 1st 1638 at St. Botolph without Aldgate, also city of London. In 1831 Henry Savery (1791 - 1842) wrote the first known book about early Australian life called 'Quintus Servington.' Savery came from a wealthy Somerset family of bankers, but in 1825 he was convicted of forgery which then carried the death sentence. This was commuted to transportation for life to Australia, where he was again imprisoned, this time for debt! The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Saveri. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of landowners of Cambridgeshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as the Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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