Show ContentsInshell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Inshell

What does the name Inshell mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Inshell comes from when the family resided in the parish of Minshull, which was located five miles from Nantwich in the county of Cheshire. This parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was known as Maneshale. 1

The place name literally means "shelf or shelving terrain of a man called Monn", from the Old English personal name + "scelf." The "church" prefix as in "Church Minshull" was originally "cirice," in Old English. 2

Early Origins of the Inshell family

The surname Inshell was first found in Cheshire at Minshull Vernon. "The manor belonged anciently to the Vernons, from whom it passed to the family of Aldeton, sometimes called Oldington and Oulton; it was subsequently divided among the Starkies, Newtons, and Minshulls." 3

Later some of the family were found at Alsager, again in Cheshire. "The manor [of Alsager] was at an early period in the possession of the Vernon family, and subsequently in that of the family of Minshull." 3

Early History of the Inshell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Inshell research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1359, 1560, 1594, 1608, 1611, 1612, 1617, 1618, 1627, 1638, 1643, 1662, 1668, 1674, 1686, 1728 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Inshell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Inshell Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Inshell include Minshull, Minshall, Minshaw, Mynshawe, Mynshewe and many more.

Early Notables of the Inshell family

Notables of the family at this time include Richard Minshull or Minshall (died 1686), an English academic, Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (1643-1686); and John Minsheu (or Minshew) (1560-1627), English lexicographer who taught languages in London, his dictionary "Guide to Tongues" provides equivalents of eleven languages and is a valuable reference for the study of Elizabethan English. Elizabeth Mynshull (1638-1728), the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester married John Milton (1608-1674), the famous English poet and man of letters on 24 February 1662. She would be his third and final wife despite she being 31...
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Inshell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Inshell family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas Minshall and his wife Margaret who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; John Minshall who settled in Philadelphia in 1823 and Richard Minshall who settled in Maryland in 1680..



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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