Scipworthy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Scipworthy is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Scipworthy family lived in Yorkshire, at Skipwith, a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Selby. Skipwith Hall was built in the early 1700's and still survives today as "a handsome mansion." 1 Literally, the place name means "sheep farm, from the Old English words "scip" +"wic" 2 and was first listed as Schipewic in the Domesday Book of 1086. 3

Early Origins of the Scipworthy family

The surname Scipworthy was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Skipwith, where Robert of Estoteville, (sometimes called 'Stuteville',) the ancestor of the Skipwiths, Baron of Cottingham, was granted his lands by William, Duke of Normandy, after his Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. This family was one of the most distinguished in all Normandy and held the Castle at Ambrieres. They were very close both to King Henry, and his brother Duke Robert of Normandy. The Baron became Lord of the Manor of Skipwith. The first to assume the name Skipwith was Patrick de Skipwith, the second son of the Baron. 4 "Snore Hall [in the parish of Fordham in Norfolk], now a farmhouse, was the seat of the family of Skipwith, who entertained Charles I. on the night previous to his delivering himself to the Scottish army. " 1

Early History of the Scipworthy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scipworthy research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1348, 1529, 1539, 1547, 1586, 1616, 1620, 1652, 1658, 1663, 1670, 1676, 1677, 1680, 1694, 1710, 1728, 1730 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Scipworthy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scipworthy Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Skipwith, Skipworth, Shipwith, Shipworth and others.

Early Notables of the Scipworthy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Skipwith (fl.1348), Member of Parliament for York; William Skipwith (died 1547), Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1529 and 1539; William Skipwith (died 1586), Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire in 1547; Sir Henry Skipwith, 1st Baronet of Prestwould (d. c. 1658); Sir Henry Skipwith, 2nd Baronet of Prestwould (c. 1616-c. 1663); Sir Grey Skipwith, 3rd Baronet...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scipworthy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Scipworthy family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Scipworthy name or one of its variants: Peter Skipwith, great grandson of Sir William Skipwith who settled in Virginia in 1789.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.