Show ContentsShackell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Shackell surname was a habitational name from Scackleton, a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire. 1 The village is mentioned three times in the Domesday Book as Scacheldene or Scachelsey. 2

The place name probably means "valley by a point of land," from the Old English scacol + denu. 3 Another source claims the word "scacol," describes a "tongue of land."

Early Origins of the Shackell family

The surname Shackell was first found in Lancashire where Hugh Schacheliton was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1246. Hugh Shakeldene was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1302. 1

"The Shackletons were one of the most notable Quaker families in Ireland. Their famous school at Ballitore, Co. Kildare, where Edmund Burke was educated, was founded by Abraham Shackleton, a native of Yorkshire, in 1726. His son Richard Shackleton and his grandson Abraham Shackleton carried on the school with success. His daughter, Mary Leadbeater (1726-1826), the author of poems and essays, left a valuable account of rural life in the eighteenth century. Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), the Antarctic explorer, was of the same Co. Kildare family." 4

The Shackell variant has the same root and "is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Shakell'; compare the local Shackleton." 5 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include Willelmus Shakelle. 5

In Norfolk, The Vicarage of Corpesty, Norfolk, 'was sold by Heydon to Thomas Jecks and John Shakle, and by them to the Bacons, 1611.' 6 "This form still remains in Norfolk, Shackle being found in the Modern Domesday Book for that county." 5

Early History of the Shackell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shackell research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1246, 1280, 1302, 1597, 1601, 1602, 1697, 1726, 1728, 1761, 1771, 1792, 1826, 1862, 1874 and 1922 are included under the topic Early Shackell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shackell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shackleton, Shackle, Sheckleton and others.

Early Notables of the Shackell family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Abraham Shackleton (1697-1771), English schoolmaster, the youngest of six children, was born at Shackleton House, near Bingley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were Quakers. He moved to Ireland, and became a tutor to the children of...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shackell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Shackell family to Ireland

Some of the Shackell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Shackell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Shackell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Augustus J Shackell, who landed in Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. Arthur Shackell, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 7
  • Mr. Augustus Shackell, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 7
  • Mrs. Mary Shackell, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th March 1852 7


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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