Henshall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient roots of the Henshall family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Henshall comes from when the family lived in Henshaw in Northumberland, or in the settlement of Henshaw in Prestbury, which is in the county of Cheshire. 1
Of the two, the Northumberland township is the oldest dating back to the 12th century when it was known as Hedeneshalch. 2
Early Origins of the Henshall family
The surname Henshall was first found in Northumberland at Henshaw, a township, in the parish and union of Haltwhistle, W. division of Tindale ward. 3 The first record of the family was actually found in Cumberland (Cumbria) where Peter de Henschal was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1332. Later, Richard de Henneshagh was found in Cheshire in 1365. 4
Henshaw Hall in the parish of Siddington in Cheshire East dates back to at least 1674. This two storey hall was once held by the Henshaw family, but is now a farmhouse.
Early History of the Henshall family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henshall research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1608, 1614, 1618, 1621, 1624, 1628, 1631, 1635, 1639, 1663, 1673, 1679 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Henshall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Henshall Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Henshall has appeared include Henshaw, Henshall, Henshawe and others.
Early Notables of the Henshall family
Notables of the family at this time include Nathaniel Henshaw (1628-c.1673) Original Fellow, Royal Society in May 5th, 1663. He was the younger son of Benjamin Henshaw, 'one of the captains of the city of London,' who died 4 Dec. 1631. 5
Joseph Henshaw (1608-1679), was Bishop of Peterborough from 1663 until his death. He was the son of Thomas Henshaw, solicitor-general of Ireland. His grandfather, William Henshaw of Worth in Sussex, was descended from an old Cheshire family, resident at Henshaw Hall, in the parish of Siddington, near Congleton. He was one of the...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Henshall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Henshall migration to the United States +
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Henshall arrived in North America very early:
Henshall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Henshall, who landed in Maryland in 1663 6
Henshall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Henshall, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 6
- Minnie Henshall, aged 18, who settled in America from Macclesfield, in 1892
- Percy Henshall, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Macclesfield, in 1894
Henshall Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- William J. Henshall, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States from Tullamore, Ireland, in 1906
- Thomas Henshall, aged 30, who immigrated to America from Hazel Grove, England, in 1907
- John Henshall, aged 74, who landed in America from Ripon, England., in 1909
- Charles Henshall, aged 21, who immigrated to America from Manchester, England, in 1913
- William Henshall, aged 34, who landed in America from London, England, in 1919
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Henshall migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Henshall Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- Amy M.B. Henshall, aged 44, who immigrated to Owen Sound, Canada, in 1924
- Henry Henshall, aged 44, who settled in Owen Sound, Canada, in 1924
Henshall migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Henshall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Henshall, British Convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
- Mr. Charles Henshall, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
- Miss. Harriet Henshall, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baretto Junior" on 5th April 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Henshall (post 1700) +
- James Alexander Henshall (1836-1925), American author
- James Cecil Henshall (1907-1969), English footballer
- Horace Vincent Henshall (1889-1951), English footballer
- Hugh Henshall (1734-1816), English civil engineer, noted for his work on canals
- John Henry Henshall (1856-1928), English artist
- Michael Henshall (1928-2017), Bishop of Warrington (1976–1996)
- Douglas James Henshall (b. 1965), Scottish actor, best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval and as Jimmy Perez in crime drama Shetland
- Scott Henshall (b. 1975), British fashion designer
- Valentine Ruth "Ruthie" Henshall (b. 1967), British singer, dancer and actress
- Paul Henshall (b. 1977), British actor
Citations +
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baretto-junior