Show ContentsShuckburgh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Shuckburgh family name to the British Isles. They lived in Warwickshire which is derived from the Old English word scucca, meaning goblin or demon, and burgh meaning hill. Combined the place meant "hill or mound haunted by an evil spirit." 1 The place name was listed as Socheberge 2 in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Early Origins of the Shuckburgh family

The surname Shuckburgh was first found in Warwickshire at Upper Shuckburgh, a parish, in the union of Southam, Southam division of the hundred of Knightlow.

"Shuckburgh Park, the seat of the ancient family of Shuckburgh. Dugdale supposes that William de Shuckburgh, in the time of King John, was the first who assumed the name; in subsequent reigns several of the family held offices of great trust and authority in the county. The mansion is a spacious and elegant structure, in an extensive park, abounding in deer, but whose woodland recesses do not possess their former beauty, much of the timber having been felled." 3

Prior to the year 1200, their history is obscured but most assume it to be descended from Herlwin, the Domesday tenant of Shuckburgh who held the manor from the Count of Meulan in the year 1086 or from Alwin, the tenant of the other half who held it from Thorkell of Warwick. The Shuckburgh family have held the manor ever since.

Today, Shuckburgh Hall is a privately owned country house mansion and has been the home of the Shuckburgh family since the 12th century. "William de Suckberge is presumed to be the first who assumed the name, from Shuckborough Superior, in this county; he was living in the third of John." 4

Early History of the Shuckburgh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shuckburgh research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1210, 1596, 1650 and 1656 are included under the topic Early Shuckburgh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shuckburgh Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Shuckburgh, Shuckborough, Shuckburg, Shuckberg and others.

Early Notables of the Shuckburgh family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Richard Shuckburgh (1596-1656), English Royalist, the second son of John Shuckburgh of Shuckburgh in Warwickshire5...


New Zealand Shuckburgh 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:

Shuckburgh Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Anne Shuckburgh, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Persia" in 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name Shuckburgh (post 1700) +



The Shuckburgh 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: Haec manus ob patriam
Motto Translation: This hand for my country.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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