Shilton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Shilton name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the township of Shelton found in five counties in England. Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Salop and Staffordshire all had townships by the name of Shelton. This place-name was originally derived by the Old English elements scylf and tun, which denoted a ledge or plateau in the landscape. 1 2

Early Origins of the Shilton family

The surname Shilton was first found in Norfolk at Shelton, a parish, in the union and hundred of Defwade. "This place was anciently the property of the Sheltons, who were owners of the Hall, a castellated structure long since pulled down. From that family the estate passed to Sir Robert Houghton, one of the justices of the king's bench." 3

Some of the family held estates in Great Snoring, Norfolk. "The living is a rectory, with that of Thursford annexed, valued in the king's books at £24, and in the gift of St. John's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £539, and the glebe comprises 37 acres, with a house, erected by Sir Richard Shelton. The church is a good structure in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower, and contains some ancient monuments and brasses to the Shelton and other families." 3

The Shilton variant also claims northern England are their ancestral home with Henry of Shilton recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1231. Again in Yorkshire, we found John de Schelton in the Assize Rolls for 1260. 4

Early History of the Shilton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shilton research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1222, 1460, 1475, 1476, 1502, 1529, 1537, 1539, 1555, 1561, 1576, 1579, 1601, 1604, 1612, 1626, 1647, 1649, 1650, 1700 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Shilton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shilton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Shilton were recorded, including Shelton, Sheltone, Shilton and others.

Early Notables of the Shilton family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir Richard Shelton, Sheldon or Shilton (d. 1647), was Solicitor-General, the elder of the two sons of John Shelton (d. 1601), a mercer, of Birmingham. 5

Migration of the Shilton family to Ireland

Some of the Shilton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shilton migration to Australia +

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

Shilton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Shilton, English convict who was convicted in Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 8 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia 6

Shilton 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:

Shilton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. F. Shilton, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Tongariro" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1887 7

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html