Sheils History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Sheils family

The surname Sheils was first found in Berwickshire where the name was local in origin. The Middle English version of the name was "schele" or "skali" which was "used first of a shepherd's summer-hut or small house." This distinguished Clan took their name from the reivers small houses or huts which abounded on the eastern English/Scottish border. 1

Robbie Burns included the line "the swallow jinkin around my shiel." North Shields and South Shields located on the north bank of the River Tyne and the mouth of the same river date back to 1225-1245, 2 but there is no record of any relationship to the surname.

"Thomas of le Scheie was juror on an inquisition made at Traqueyr, 1274. William Schelle of the county of Edeneburk rendered homage [to King Edward I of England in] 1296. Symon de Scheie was dean of guild in Edinburgh, 1403, and William de Schellis, presbyter and notary public in the diocese of Glasgow, 1448. Gilbert Schell witnessed sasine of lands of Walle, 1469, and John Scheill was citizen of Glasgow, 1527. Andro Cheill or Cheild was tenant of land of West Scheill, 1515, and Andro Scheill, tenant in barony of Glasgow in same year. Alexander Sheilds or Shields (1660-1700), the Covenanter, wrote his name 'Shells.' " 3

Just over the border in northern England, we found Robert Scild in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1206 and later, William Sheld in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1267. Here the name is thought to have probably denotes "a maker of shields. " 4

Early rolls also included Roger ate Schelds in the Subsidy Rolls for Surrey in 1332, Geoffrey le Seldmakere in Essex in 1285 and Adam Scheldman in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 4

Early History of the Sheils family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheils research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1296, 1403, 1515, 1660, 1700, 1702, 1707, 1753, 1783 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sheils History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheils Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shiel, Shiell, Shiels, Shiells, Sheil, Sheill, Sheils, Sheills, Shield, Shields, O'Shiel, O'Shields and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheils family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was William Schelle of Edinburgh; and Alexander Shields or Sheilds (1660-1700), a Scottish nonconformist minister, activist, and author from Earlston, Berwickshire.Robert Shiels, Shiells or Shields (d. 1753), was a Scottish...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheils Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sheils family to Ireland

Some of the Sheils family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheils migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheils Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Sheils, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Toloa" from Liverpool via Brest 5
Bernard Sheils, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Southampton, England 5
William Sheils, aged 46, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Byron" from Rio de Janeiro 5
Michael Stephen Sheils, originally from Liverpool, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Southampton, England 5
Bridget Sheils, aged 22, originally from Letterkenny, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Londonderry, Ireland 5

Sheils migration to Australia +

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

Sheils Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Sheils, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheils (post 1700) +

William J. Sheils, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1932; Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 9th District, 1935 7
P. Sheils, English Headmaster at Abbotsford Preparatory School, Urmston, Greater Manchester, England
Tony "Doc" Sheils, English paranormal researcher, known for his "sightings" of the Owlman or Cornish Owlman in the mid 1970s at Mawnan, Cornwall
Darren Sheils, member of the Ireland national Australian rules football team in 2011

The Sheils 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: Vincit qui patitur
Motto Translation: He conquers who endures.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html