Shack History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Shack family

The surname Shack was first found in Lancashire at Shakerley, which is now a suburb of Tyldesley in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. Shakerley is derived from the Old English words "sceacere" + "leah" and literally meant "robbers woodland glade or clearing." 1 2

This property 'formerly almost exclusively the property of the Shakerleys of Somerford in Cheshire. The site of the hall is marked by a moat, and continued to be the residence of the Shakerleys till the middle of the last century.' 3

The earliest record of the place name was Shakerlee in 1210. Adam de Shakerley was the first of the name living in the area about 1200. Later, Henry de Shakresleghe, de Shakerleghe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 4

Early History of the Shack family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shack research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1631, 1650 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Shack History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shack Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shakerley, Shackerly, Shackerley, Shack and many more.

Early Notables of the Shack family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Jeremy Shakerley (fl. 1650), English astronomer and mathematician, was author of 'The Anatomy of Urania Practica,' or a short Mathematical Discourse. "Shakerley's chief claim to distinction is as the second observer of the transit of Mercury. The first transit was observed in 1631. According to...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shack Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shack migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shack Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam and Jacob Shack, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1751
Adam Shack, aged 36, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 5

Shack migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Shack Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

C. Shack, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caroline" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Shack (post 1700) +

William E. Shack Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 7
Edward Steven Phillip "Eddie" Shack (1937-2020), also known by his nicknames "The Entertainer" and "The Nose", Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for six National Hockey League teams, born in Sudbury, Ontario

The Shack Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Antiquum Obtinens
Motto Translation: Possessing our ancient honour.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Baines Thomas & William Fairbairn, Lancashire and Cheshire, Past and Present History of Counties London: William MacKenzie, 1867, Digital, 4 vols
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CAROLINE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caroline.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html