Munshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Germany

Etymology of Munshaw

The ancestors of the name Munshaw date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence 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 Munshaw family

Early History of the Munshaw family

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

Munshaw Spelling Variations

Munshaw 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. Many variations of the name Munshaw have been found, including Minshull, Minshall, Minshaw, Mynshawe, Mynshewe and many more.

Early Notables of the Munshaw 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 Munshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Munshaw family

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 Munshaws to arrive on North American shores: 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..