Sheard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

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The name Sheard is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the township of Shardlow in the parish of Aston-upon-Trent in the county of Derbyshire. This place name was listed as Serdelau in the Domesday Book and Shardelow in 1279 in the Calendar of Fines of the County of Derby. 1

Early Origins of the Sheard family

The surname Sheard was first found in Derbyshire, at Shardlow, a village that dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Serdelau and literally meant "mound with a notch or indentation" from the Old English words sceard + hlaw. 2

Sir John de Shardelowe or Scherdelow (died 1344?) was an English judge who appeared as an "advocate in the reign of Edward II, and on 28 Jan. 1332 was appointed a judge of the court of common pleas and received knighthood. During his lifetime he settled his manor of Thompson, Norfolk, upon his elder son, Sir John de Shardelowe, and, in addition, died seised of the manor of Fulbourn and of lands in Leverington and Wisbeach in Cambridgeshire, of the manors of Barrow and Cowlinge or Cooling, and of lands in Brandon, Cavenham, and elsewhere in Suffolk, and of land in Downham in Norfolk." 3

Early History of the Sheard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheard research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1589 is included under the topic Early Sheard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheard Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Sheard were recorded, including Shardelow, Shardlow, Shardlowe, Shardelowe, Shardlaw, Shardelaw, Shardalow, Shardeloe, Shardloe, Shartlow, Shartloe, Shatlow, Shatloe and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheard family

More information is included under the topic Early Sheard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheard Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheard is the 12,136^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Sheard family to Ireland

Some of the Sheard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheard migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Sheard family emigrate to North America:

Sheard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W. W. Sheard, aged 29, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1892
Del Gracia Sheard, aged 26, who arrived in America, in 1896
Walter Sheard, aged 38, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1897

Sheard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James E. Sheard, aged 39, who arrived in America from Dewsburg, England, in 1904
James Sheard, aged 4, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1905
George Sheard, aged 42, who arrived in America, in 1906
John Robert Sheard, aged 22, who arrived in America from Batley, England, in 1907
William Sheard, aged 27, who arrived in America from Brighouse, England, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sheard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheard Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Robert Henry Sheard, aged 29, who arrived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1911
Charles Sheard, aged 27, who arrived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1913
Abraham Sheard, aged 57, who arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1915

Sheard migration to Australia +

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

Sheard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ruth Sheard, aged 24, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Dirigo" 5

Sheard 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:

Sheard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Sheard, (b. 1809), aged 38, British settler born in Leicestershire arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6
Miss Catherine Sheard, (b. 1847), aged 1, British settler born in Nottinghamshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6
Miss Mary Ann Sheard, (b. 1844), aged 3, Irish settler born in County Cork travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6
Miss Elizabeth (Lizzie) Sheard, (b. 1841), aged 6, Irish settler born in County Cork travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheard (post 1700) +

Titus Sheard (1841-1904), English-born, American businessman and politician, Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1884
Jabaal Lamar Sheard (b. 1989), American NFL football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns
Karen Clark- Sheard (b. 1960), born Karen Valencia Clark, an American gospel four-time Grammy Award winning singer, musician, and songwriter
Kierra Valencia "Kiki" Sheard (b. 1987), American gospel and R&B singer, daughter of Karen Clark-Sheard
Gerry Sheard, English co-founder of Jefferson Sheard Architects, an English architectural design firm based in Sheffield in 1958
Leslie "Les" Sheard (b. 1945), English teacher, and rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s
Charles Sheard M.D. (1857-1929), Canadian medical doctor, public health official and politician, Member of Parliament for Toronto South (1917-1925)
Sarah Sheard (b. 1953), Canadian novelist
John Sheard, Canadian pianist, producer and arranger, brother of Sarah Sheard
Joseph Sheard (1813-1883), English-born, Canadian architect and politician, Mayor of Toronto (1871-1872)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)