Show ContentsScholes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Scholes name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Scholes in the parish of Barwick in the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 Scholes was the site of three churches and three mills.

Early Origins of the Scholes family

The surname Scholes was first found in Yorkshire where the name is associated with the village of Scholes in the parish of Barwick which is about nine miles from Leeds, in the West Riding of that county. In 1086 this parish was held by Ilbert de Lacy, and was the site of 3 Churches and 3 mills, today there are still the remains of a bailey, a moat, and a Saxon cross.

Early History of the Scholes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scholes research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1285, 1332 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Scholes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scholes Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Scholes has undergone many spelling variations, including Scholes, Scholl, Scholles, Schoall, Schoalles, Scole, Scoles, Scoyles, Scoyle, Scayle, Scayles, Schoales and many more.

Early Notables of the Scholes family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Scholes of Barwick

Ireland Migration of the Scholes family to Ireland

Some of the Scholes 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.


United States Scholes migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Scholes were among those contributors:

Scholes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Scholes, who arrived in Lynn, MA sometime between 1620 and 1650
  • James Scholes, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1696
Scholes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Scholes, who settled in Virginia in 1747
  • Daniel Scholes, a bonded passenger who arrived in 1749
Scholes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Scholes and Ann Scholes, who arrived in New York in 1849, aboard the "Marmion," bound for Wisconsin

Australia Scholes migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Scholes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Scholes, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 1
  • Mr. Thomas Scholes, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life , transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2
  • Mr. James Scholes, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • Joseph Scholes, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
  • Mr. Richard Scholes, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Scholes migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Scholes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Joshua Scholes, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
  • Robert Scholes, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1874
  • Eliza Scholes, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Scholes (post 1700) +

  • Robert Scholes, American literary critic and theorist
  • Joseph N. Scholes, American politician, Representative from Ohio 20th District, 1902 6
  • James Christopher Scholes (1852-1890), English antiquary, son of James Scholes, printer and bookbinder, born at Bolton, Lancashire
  • Percy Scholes (1877-1958), English musician and journalist
  • Paul Scholes (b. 1974), English footballer
  • Gordon Glen Denton Scholes, Australian Politician, member of the House of Representatives for Corio, from 1967-1993
  • Alwyn Myron S Scholes (b. 1941), Canadian economist, Nobel-Prize-winning economist and creator of the Black-Scholes model


  1. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  2. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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