Scholefield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Scholefield family lived in Lancashire. Their name, however, is a reference to Escoville, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1

Early Origins of the Scholefield family

The surname Scholefield was first found in Lancashire at Schofield, in East Rochdale in the township of Butterworth. The first record of the family was John de Scholefeld who held lands here during the reign of Edward I. 2

Schofield Hall in Hollingworth was in the hands of the same family for over 400 years and their association with the district dates back to John De Schofield in 1310 who held lands there at that time.

"Schofield, a name also established in Lancashire, under which county further reference will be found, is now numerously represented in the Huddersfield and Leeds districts." 3

Early History of the Scholefield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scholefield research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1363, 1688, 1744, 1789, 1809, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1836, 1844, 1853 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Scholefield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scholefield Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Scofield, Schofield, Scholefield and others.

Early Notables of the Scholefield family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

James Scholefield (1789-1853), Regius professor of Greek at Cambridge, born on 15 Nov. 1789, at Henley-on-Thames, where his father was an independent minister. "He was educated at Christ's Hospital, w...
William Scholefield (1809-1867), English politician, born in 1809 in the 'Old Square,' Birmingham, was second son of Joshua Scholefield (1744-1844), M.P. for Birmingham. 4

Scholefield migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Scholefield or a variant listed above:

Scholefield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John and Samuel Scholefield, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
Charles Scholefield, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 5

Scholefield migration to Australia +

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

Scholefield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Scholefield, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
James Scholefield, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Miss. Eliza Scholefield, (b. 1827), aged 20, British Housemaid who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Asia" on 9th March 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Joseph Scholefield, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 9
John Scholefield, aged 24, a mason, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Flora" 10

Scholefield 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:

Scholefield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Sarah A. Scholefield, (b. 1836), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 11
Mr. Harry Scholefield, (b. 1857), aged 6, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Scholefield (post 1700) +

Charles M. Scholefield, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Oneida County 1st District, 1859, 1862; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1868 12
Charles H. Scholefield, American politician, Representative from New York 33rd District, 1914 12
William Scholefield (1809-1867), English politician, born in the ‘Old Square,’ Birmingham, second son of Joshua Scholefield (1744–1844), M.P. for Birmingham
James Scholefield (1789-1853), English Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge, born at Henley-on-Thames
Mark Scholefield (1828-1858), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
Jack Scholefield, New Zealand Lawyer
Alan Scholefield (b. 1931), South African writer

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1847
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Flora 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/flora1855.shtml
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 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html