| ![Show Contents]() Schives History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
Etymology of SchivesWhat does the name Schives mean? Schives is an ancient Scottish name that was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. It is a name for someone who lived in the old barony in the parish of Tarves, Aberdeenshire. The name Schives comes from Gaelic seamhas, meaning "a narrow place in a river." Early Origins of the Schives familyThe surname Schives was first found in Tarves, Aberdeenshire. Some of the earliest records of the family include: John Chivas, who had a safe conduct to study at Oxford in 1393, and William Shivas, who was a Physician and Astrologer, Archbishop of St. Andrews in 1477. Later, John Scheves was forgiven on a charge of murder in 1526. 1 William Schevez or Schives (died 1497) was "Archbishop of St. Andrews, is supposed to have descended from a family that adopted the name from the estate of Schevez in Aberdeenshire. One John de Schevez was clerk to James I in 1426, and may have been the patron through whose influence William Schevez was introduced to the court." 2 Early History of the Schives familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schives research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1647, 1648, 1759, 1801, 1843 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Schives History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Schives Spelling VariationsPrior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Schives has been spelled Shivas, Shives, Chivas, Shivis, Shivez, Shivers, Shevas and many more. Early Notables of the Schives familyAnother 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schives Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Schives family to IrelandSome of the Schives family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Schives familyIn such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them: Samuel Shiva who was on record in Boston Massachusetts in 1651; Richard Shevers, who was in the records of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1694; James and Henry Shivers, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1847.
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: Virtute non vi
Motto Translation: By virtue not by force.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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