Minshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Minshaw

What does the name Minshaw mean?

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Minshaw surname lived 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 Minshaw family

The surname Minshaw 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 Minshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Minshaw 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 Minshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minshaw Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Minshaw are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Minshaw include: Minshull, Minshall, Minshaw, Mynshawe, Mynshewe and many more.

Early Notables of the Minshaw family

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 years his junior. Geffray Minshull or Mynshul (1594?-1668), the...
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Minshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Minshaw family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Minshaw or a variant listed above: 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..

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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.