Shawcross History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name Shawcross comes from the family having resided in the county of Derbyshire. The surname Shawcross is a habitation surname which forms a broad category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. In this case the family was named after the ancient stone cross that stood in the High Peak forest in the parish of Shackelcross.
Early Origins of the Shawcross family
The surname Shawcross was first found in Derbyshire at Shallcross, a small village in northwestern portion of the shire. Some claim the name Shallcross comes from an ancient stone cross, known as the Shall Cross which dated back to 832 when St. Paulinus visited the area.
Early History of the Shawcross family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shawcross research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1686 is included under the topic Early Shawcross History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shawcross Spelling Variations
Shawcross has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Shallcross, Shalcross, Shawcross, Shallcrosse and others.
Early Notables of the Shawcross family
More information is included under the topic Early Shawcross Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Shawcross migration to the United States +
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Shawcrosss to arrive on North American shores:
Shawcross Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Shawcross, who landed in America in 1811 1
- Bradford, James, and Samuel Shawcross, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1852 and 1871
- Solomon Shawcross, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1854 1
Contemporary Notables of the name Shawcross (post 1700) +
- Valerie "Val" Shawcross CBE, English Labour Co-operative politician, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport from 2016 to 2018 and as a Member of the London Assembly for Lambeth and Southwark from 2000 to 2016
- Neil Shawcross MBE, RHA, HRUA (b. 1940), English portrait painter born in Kearsley, Lancashire, England, and resident in Northern Ireland since 1962, he has painted the Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney, novelist Francis Stuart (for the Ulster Museum), former Lord Mayor of BelfaSt David Cook (for Belfast City Council), footballer Derek Dougan and fellow artists Colin Middleton and Terry Frost
- Henry Douglas Shawcross (1884-1913), English newspaper journalist and author of Nature and the Idealist, published posthumously in 1914
- Ryan James Shawcross (b. 1987), English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for MLS club Inter Miami
- Francis David Shawcross (1941-2015), English footballer who played from 1958 to 1973
- William Shawcross (b. 1946), British writer, broadcaster and commentator, former Chairman of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- Conrad Hartley Pelham Shawcross (b. 1977), British artist specializing in mechanical sculptures based on philosophical and scientific ideas, son of biographer William Shawcross
- Christopher Nyholm Shawcross QC (1905-1973), British lawyer and Labour politician, son of John Shawcross
- Hartley William Shawcross (1902-2003), Baron Shawcross, British barrister and politician, lead British prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes tribunal
Citations +
- 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)