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Skipwith History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Skipwith History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Skipwith is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Skipwith family lived in Yorkshire, at Skipwith, a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Selby. Skipwith Hall was built in the early 1700's and still survives today as "a handsome mansion." 1 Literally, the place name means "sheep farm, from the Old English words "scip" +"wic" 2 and was first listed as Schipewic in the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Early Origins of the Skipwith family

The surname Skipwith was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Skipwith, where Robert of Estoteville, (sometimes called 'Stuteville',) the ancestor of the Skipwiths, Baron of Cottingham, was granted his lands by William, Duke of Normandy, after his Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. This family was one of the most distinguished in all Normandy and held the Castle at Ambrieres. They were very close both to King Henry, and his brother Duke Robert of Normandy. The Baron became Lord of the Manor of Skipwith. The first to assume the name Skipwith was Patrick de Skipwith, the second son of the Baron. 4 "Snore Hall [in the parish of Fordham in Norfolk], now a farmhouse, was the seat of the family of Skipwith, who entertained Charles I. on the night previous to his delivering himself to the Scottish army. " 1

Early History of the Skipwith family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skipwith research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1348, 1529, 1539, 1547, 1586, 1616, 1620, 1652, 1658, 1663, 1670, 1676, 1677, 1680, 1694, 1710, 1728, 1730 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Skipwith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skipwith Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Skipwith, Skipworth, Shipwith, Shipworth and others.

Early Notables of the Skipwith family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Skipwith (fl.1348), Member of Parliament for York
William Skipwith (died 1547), Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1529 and 1539
William Skipwith (died 1586), Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1547
Sir Henry Skipwith, 1st Baronet of Prestwould (d. c. 1658)
Sir Henry Skipwith, 2nd Baronet of Prestwould (c. 1616-c. 1663)
Sir Grey Skipwith, 3rd Baronet of Prestwould (d. c. 1680)
Sir William Skipwith, 4th Baronet of Prestwould (c. 1670-c. 1730)
Sir Fulwar Skipwith, 1st Baronet of Newbold Hall (d. 1677)
Sir Fulwar Skipwith, 2nd Baronet of Newbold Hall (1676-1728)
Sir Thomas Skipwith, 1st Baronet of Metheringham (c. 1620-1694)
Sir Thomas Skipwith, 1st Baronet (ca. 1620-1694), an English politician

Skipwith migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Skipwith or a variant listed above:

Skipwith Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Sir Grey Skipwith, who landed in Virginia in 1672 5

Skipwith Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Skipwith, great grandson of Sir William Skipwith who settled in Virginia in 1789

Skipwith Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J. A. Skipwith, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1897

Skipwith Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. F. G. Skipwith, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Greg. Skipwith, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Edward Skipwith, aged 31, who settled in America from London, England, in 1908
Bertha Sylvia Skipwith, aged 42, who landed in America from London, England, in 1920
Berta Silvia Skipwith, aged 43, who immigrated to the United States from Bedford, England, in 1922
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Skipwith 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:

Skipwith Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Skipwith, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 3rd January 1843 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Skipwith (post 1700) +

Fulwar Skipwith (1765-1839), American diplomat and politician, instrumental in negotiating the Louisiana Purchase, president of the Republic of West Florida in 1810
Sir Francis Skipwith (1705-1778), 3rd Baronet of Newbold Hall, English peer
Sir William Skipwith (1703-1764), 6th Baronet of Prestwould, English peer
Sir Grey Skipwith (1700-1750), 5th Baronet of Prestwould, English peer
Sir Thomas George Skipwith (1735-1790), 4th Baronet
Sir Thomas George Skipwith (1803-1863), 9th Baronet
Sir Patrick Skipwith, Marine Geologist
Skipwith Cannell (1887-1957), American poet associated with the Imagist group

Historic Events for the Skipwith family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Grey Skipwith, British Lieutenant Commander, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html