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Shipley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Shipley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Shipley family, who lived in Derbyshire, at Shipley, from where they derived their name.

Alternatively, the name could have originated "from Shipley (pasture for sheep), the name of several places in England. " 1

Early Origins of the Shipley family

The surname Shipley was first found in Derbyshire where they were granted the lands of Shipley, originally spelled Scipelie, by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Today Shipley is a township, in the parish of Heanor, union of Basford, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch. Shipley is also a township, in the parish of Eglingham, union of Alnwick, N. division of Coquetdale ward and of Northumberland and a parish, in the union of Horsham, hundred of West Grinstead, rape of Bramber, W. division of Sussex. 2

"The ancient castle of Knap, here, which appears to have been founded in an early period of the Norman era, was visited by King John in 1206 and 1215, and was garrisoned during the Parliamentary War." 2

One branch of the family may have originated in Shipley, a parish in West Riding of Yorkshire, three miles from Bradford or at Shepley, a township in the parish of Kirk Burton, West Riding of Yorkshire.

Interestingly, the Yorkshire Shipley occurs as Scipeleia in Domesday Book of 1086. 3

"Both places seem to have been originally spelt Scheplay, so both Shepley and Shipley as surnames are now inextricably mixed." 4

And it is Yorkshire where we find the first records of the family. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Katerine de Scheplay; Joanna de Scheplay; and Adam de Scheplay as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Early History of the Shipley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shipley research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1769 is included under the topic Early Shipley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shipley Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Shipley, Shiplie, Skiplie, Schipley and others.

Early Notables of the Shipley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Shipley of Derbyshire

Shipley Ranking

In the United States, the name Shipley is the 1,770^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 5

Shipley migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Shipley or a variant listed above:

Shipley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Shipley, aged 21, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Primrose" 6
Richard Shipley, who settled in Virginia in 1660
Adam Shipley, who arrived in America in 1668 6

Shipley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William, Shipley Jr., who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1750 6
Martin Shipley, who arrived in New Jersey in 1754 6
John Shipley, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1775 6

Shipley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Shipley, who settled in New York State in 1820
Mrs. Elizabeth Shipley, aged 33, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Miss Ellen Shipley, aged 5, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Mr. William Shipley, aged 37, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Shipley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shipley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Shipley, with his wife Elizabeth, and son and daughter, who settled in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1774
Thomas Shipley, aged 31, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
Thomas Shipley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Shipley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Philip Shipley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1836

Shipley migration to Australia +

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

Shipley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Shipley, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Shipley, British convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Henry Shipley, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Shipley, (b. 1809), aged 33, English blacksmith who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 7 years for handling stolen goods, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. James Shipley, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 15 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shipley 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:

Shipley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Matthew Shipley, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
Jane Shipley, aged 38, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
Lt. Shipley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "True Briton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1853 12
Mrs. Ann Shipley, (b. 1838), aged 25, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 13
Mr. Burton Shipley, (b. 1838), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shipley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Shipley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Robert Shipley, who settled in Barbados in 1671

Contemporary Notables of the name Shipley (post 1700) +

William Shipley (1714-1803), English founder of originator of "Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce," now known as the "Royal Society of Arts," the son of Jonathan Shipley (d. 1749) ‘of Walbrook, Middlesex, gent.,’
Tom Shipley, American musician, best known as a member of the American folk rock duo Brewer & Shipley
Jordan Shipley (b. 1985), American NFL football wide receiver
Howard Burton Shipley (1890-1976), American athlete and coach for the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland (1919-1920)
J. Frank Shipley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1952 15
George Edward Shipley (b. 1927), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1959-79; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 15
Mrs. George Shipley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Mexico, 1944 15
Edward R. Shipley, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Springfield, Missouri, 1877-85 15
Mrs. D. E. Shipley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1932 15
Carl L. Shipley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from District of Columbia, 1960, 1964 15
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Shipley family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Michael D Shipley (1958-1985), American Specialist 4th Class from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 16

Victoria steamboat disaster

L. Shipley, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881
M. Shipley, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550