Show ContentsSharpes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Sharpes Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Sharpes

What does the name Sharpes mean?

The first people to use the name Sharpes were a family of Strathclyde-Britons who lived in the Scottish/English Borderlands. The name comes from when someone lived in Peeblesshire. The name Sharpes is derived from the Old English scearp meaning "sharp" or "keen." 1

Early Origins of the Sharpes family

The surname Sharpes was first found in Peeblesshire, where "there are few early notices of this surname. William Scharp was a tenant of the earl of Douglas in the barony of Kilbucho in 1376. Later, Patrick Sharp held land in Denburn in 1439 and John Scharpe was merchant and bailie of Dumfries, 1656." 2

"This name is rare or absent in the south-west of England and in the south coast counties, excluding Kent. It is also, generally speaking, infrequent in the north, except in the West Riding and in Cumberland and Westmorland. It is mostly crowded into Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Rutlandshire, and Nottinghamshire, extending also into the adjacent counties; but it is also fairly numerous in Kent. In Scotland it finds its home in Perthshire in the form of Sharp." 3

So as to confirm the preceding entry, the source Old English Bynames includes the Saxon entry for Healðegn Scearpa in Kent in 1026. Other early entries include: Ailmer Scharp in the Pipe Rolls for Herefordshire in 1184; Richard Serp in the Curia Regis Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1210; Aylmer Sarp in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1228; and Alan Sharp in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Alexander Scharp, Buckinghamshire; John Scharp, Sussex; and William Scharpe, Lincolnshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Adam Scharpe and Leticia Scharppe. 5

Early History of the Sharpes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sharpes research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1431, 1433, 1454, 1474, 1535, 1613, 1618, 1638, 1639, 1643, 1644, 1650, 1651, 1661, 1679, 1681, 1689, 1691, 1702, 1707, 1714, 1735, 1742 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Sharpes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sharpes Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Sharpes has appeared as Sharp, Sharpe, Scharpe, Scharp, Schearpe and many more.

Early Notables of the Sharpes family

Jack Sharp (d. 1431), and English Lollard rebel, a weaver of Abingdon; his real name is given in the official documents as William Perkins, but some of the chronicles call him Mandeville; George Sharpe (d. 1638), Scottish professor of medicine who studied medicine at Montpellier; James Sharp (1613-1679) Scottish Presbyterian minister, leader of the "Resolutioners," and...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sharpes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sharpes family to Ireland

Some of the Sharpes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 116 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sharpes migration to Australia +

Sharpes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Sharpes, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

The Sharpes Motto +

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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. 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)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada

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