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Sheldon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Sheldon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient history of the Sheldon name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in various places named Sheldon including Derbyshire, Devon, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The first portion of the surname Sheldon is derived from the Old English scylf meaning shelf. The second portion was originally derived from the Old English dun meaning hill. The surname simply referred to the hill with a flat top. 1

Early Origins of the Sheldon family

The surname Sheldon was first found in Worcestershire where "John Sheldon, of Abberton, in the reign of Henry IV" 2 is generally believed to be the progenitor. However, the Warwickshire "ancient house of Sheldon, of Sheldon is a matter of doubt, but not improbable. 2 For it is in Warwickshire that the family rose in prominence when William Sheldon purchased the manor of Beoly from Richard Neville in the reign of Edward IV. 2

The family held this estate as their principal seat until it was destroyed by a fire in the Civil Wars of the 17th century. "[Beoley, Worcestershire] belonged successively to the noble families of Mortimer, Beauchamp, and Holland, of whose ancient castle the mound and moat still remain; and in the reign of Charles I. the manor was the property of Ralph Sheldon, a distinguished royalist, whose mansion was burned by the family themselves, to prevent its falling into the possession of the parliamentarians. Attached to the church is the chapel of 'Our Lady,' formerly a private chapel of the Sheldon family, to whom it has a very handsome monument: underneath the chapel is the vault." 3

Over in the parish of Temple Grafton, another branch of the family was found. Originally held by Knights Templar (hence the prefix "Temple"), the property was purchased by the Sheldon family in the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1541 by Henry VIII. 3

The Selden, Seldin, Seldon and Seldom variants originate in Devon at Seldon in Hatherleigh or at Selden Farm in Patching Sussex. 4 West Tarring, Sussex is where the famous lawyer John Seldon (1584-1654) was born.

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spelling in use over the years: Roger de Seldon was registered in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1196; William de Selkedon in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Robert Selden, Selkeden in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1525. 4

Early History of the Sheldon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheldon research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1584, 1598, 1599, 1610, 1642, 1654, 1660, 1663, 1677 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Sheldon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheldon Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Sheldon include Sheldon, Shelden, Seldin, Sheldyn, Sheltan and others.

Early Notables of the Sheldon family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Selden (1584-1654), an English jurist and a scholar of England's ancient laws and constitution; Edward Sheldon (1599-1687), an English translator of Catholic works; and Gilbert Sheldon (1598-1677...
Richard Sheldon (d. 1642?), was an English divine, probably descended from a branch of the Catholic family of Sheldon of Beoley in Worcestershire. "Destined for the priesthood, he was sent during the...

Sheldon Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheldon is the 1,845^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Sheldon family to Ireland

Some of the Sheldon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheldon migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Sheldon or a variant listed above:

Sheldon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Isaac Sheldon, who settled in New England in 1630
Godfrey Sheldon, who settled in Maine in 1630
Isaac Sheldon, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1634 6
James Sheldon, who landed in Virginia in 1664 6
William Sheldon, who landed in Virginia in 1664 6

Sheldon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pardon Sheldon, who settled in Boston in 1767
Captain Sheldon, who settled in Boston in 1768

Sheldon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Sheldon, who arrived in America in 1806 6
Richard Sheldon, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
Joseph Sheldon, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 6
L Sheldon, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Catharine Sheldon, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheldon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheldon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Sheldon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Mr. John Sheldon U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 7

Sheldon migration to Australia +

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

Sheldon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Sheldon, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Henry Sheldon, British convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. David Sheldon, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Gilbert Sheldon, (b. 1817), aged 22, English farm servant who was convicted in Surrey, England for 15 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1889 11
Mr. William Sheldon, (Shelton), English convict who was convicted in Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheldon 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:

Sheldon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Sarah Sheldon, (b. 1835), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 12
Mr. George Sheldon, (b. 1839), aged 24, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 12
Samuel Sheldon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
Eliza Sheldon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
Sarah Sheldon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheldon (post 1700) +

Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon (1926-2023), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, 3rd Bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville in Ohio (1992-2002)
George Lawson Sheldon (1870-1960), American Republican politician, Governor of Nebraska, 1907-09; Candidate for Republican nomination for Vice President, 1908;U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for Mississippi, 1932; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Mississippi, 1956 13
Edward A. Sheldon, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 24th District, 1894 13
Louis P. Sheldon (1934-2020), American Presbyterian pastor, and then Anglican priest
Elaine McMillion Sheldon, American Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker and visual journalist
William P. Sheldon, American politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 20th District, 1887-90 13
William W. Sheldon, American Republican politician, Candidate for Maryland State House of Delegates District 47-A, 1998 13
William H. Sheldon, American politician, Dry Candidate for Delegate to Ohio convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 13
William A. Sheldon, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1940 13
William Sheldon, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Rhode Island, 1856 13
... (Another 94 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Sheldon family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Charles James Sheldon (d. 1945), British Marine aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 14

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Sheldon, British signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 15

HMS Repulse

Mr. Clifford L Sheldon, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 16
Mr. A L M J Sheldon, British Sub Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 16

The Sheldon 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: Optimum pati
Motto Translation: To suffer is best.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
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)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html