Skeffington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Skeffington family
The surname Skeffington was first found in Leicestershire at Skeffington, a parish, in the union of Billesdon, hundred of East Goscote. 1 Dating back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Scifitone, the place name probably means "estate associated with a man called Sceaft," from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun." 2 The family is generally though to have been there since the year 1100 A.D.
Skeffington Hall is a Manor House originally constructed about 1450 and is now off the main street of the village of Skeffington, Leicestershire. It was extended c. 1530 and again in the mid 1600s. This was the birthplace of Sir William Skeffington (c. 1465-1535) Lord Deputy of Ireland and Thomas Skevington, Bishop of Bangor (died 1533.) The property was passed down to Sir William Farrell-Skeffington, 1st Baronet, (1742-1815), a British Army officer who sold the Hall to the Tailby family just before his death in 1815.
Early History of the Skeffington family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skeffington research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1465, 1508, 1509, 1515, 1521, 1533, 1535, 1660, 1695, 1714, 1739 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Skeffington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Skeffington Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Skeffington, Sheffington, Skiffington, Skefington and others.
Early Notables of the Skeffington family
Notables of this surname at this time include:
- Sir William Skeffington (c.1465-1535), born in Skeffington, Leicestershire, High Sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire for 1508, 1515 and 1521, Lord Deputy for Ireland (1535); John Skeffington, 2...
- Sir Leonard Skevington, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, was the inventor of Scavenger's Daughter (or Skevington's Daughter), an instrument of torture in the reign of Henry VIII. Thankfully the devi...
- Thomas Skevington (also Skeffington, Pace or Patexe) (died 1533) was an English Cistercian monk, abbot of Waverley Abbey and Beaulieu Abbey, and bishop of Bangor from 1509. He was the son of John Pace...
Skeffington Ranking
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Skeffington is the 641st most popular surname with an estimated 69 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Skeffington family to Ireland
Some of the Skeffington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Skeffington migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Skeffington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Skeffington, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 4
- Arthur and Mark Skeffington, who settled in Philadelphia in 1851
Contemporary Notables of the name Skeffington (post 1700) +
- Henry J. Skeffington, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1916 5
- John Skeffington (1812-1863), 10th Viscount Massereene, 3rd Viscount Ferrard, British peer
- Harriet Skeffington (d. 1831), 9th Viscountess Massereene, British peer
- Chichester Skeffington (d. 1816), 6th Earl of Massereene, 8th Viscount Massereene, British peer
- Henry Skeffington (d. 1811), 3rd Earl of Massereene, 7th Viscount Massereene, British peer
- Clotworthy Skeffington (1743-1805), 2nd Earl of Massereene, 6th Viscount Massereene, British peer
- Clotworthy Skeffington (1715-1757), 1st Earl of Massereene, 5th Viscount Massereene, British peer
- Sir Lumley St George Skeffington (1771-1850), 2nd Baronet of Fishwerwick, Staffordshire, British peer
- Arthur Massey Skeffington (1909-1971), British Labour Party politician, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Local Government (1967-1970)
- Francis Skeffington (1878-1916), nicknamed "Skeffy", Irish suffragist, pacifist and writer from Bailieborough, County Cavan
The Skeffington 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: Per augusta ad augusta
Motto Translation: Through dangers to honor.
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)
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html