Shenstone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Shenstone family

The surname Shenstone was first found in Staffordshire at Shenstone, a parish, in the union of Lichfield, S. division of the hundred of Offlow. 1 2

This parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Seneste. 3 By the 11th century, the parish was known as Scenstan and literally meant "beautiful stone," from the Old English words "scene" + "stan." 4

Another source has a slightly different Anglicization of the 11th century entry and explores the reason for the name: "Scenstan = the Bright Stone or Rock (Castle) [Old English scéone, bright, fair + stán, stone, rock, stone or rock castle] Shenstone is on a hill. In the parish 'was formerly a castle or fortification, the site of which is still called Castle- Field.' " 5

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on a phonetic appreciation of the names. Richard de Scheneston was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275; Geoffrey de Shenstone was found in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1348; and William Shenston was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire, 1426-1427. 6

Early History of the Shenstone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shenstone research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1275 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Shenstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shenstone Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shenstone, Shenton, Shenston, Shentin, Shensten and others.

Early Notables of the Shenstone family

More information is included under the topic Early Shenstone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shenstone migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shenstone Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Shenstone, who settled in Ontario in 1871
Jemima Shenstone, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Shenstone migration to Australia +

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

Shenstone Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Shenstone, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Shenstone (post 1700) +

William Ashwell Shenstone FIC, FRS (1850-1908), English chemist, schoolmaster and published author from Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, son of James Burt Byron Shenstone, a pharmaceutical chemist in Colchester
William Shenstone (1714-1763), English poet, born at Halesowen, Worcestershire, son of Thomas who was son of William Shenstone of Lappal, born in 1686, a churchwarden of Halesowen, one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening through the development of his estate, The Leasowes
Clare Noel Shenstone (b. 1948), English artist, known for her cloth relief heads and her figure drawings
Michael Shenstone (1928-2019), Canadian diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ambassador to Austria, and Department of Foreign Affairs director-general of African and Middle Eastern Affairs
Beverley Strahan Shenstone MASc, HonFRAes, FAIAA, AFIAS, FCAISI, HonOSTIV (1906-1979), Canadian aerodynamicist often credited with developing the aerodynamics of the Supermarine Spitfire elliptical wing
Allen Goodrich Shenstone OBE, MC (1893-1980), Canadian physicist, professor in the Department of Physics at Princeton University (1925–1962), known for his work in the field of atomic spectroscopy

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas