Shilten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Shilten family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Shilten comes from when the family lived in the township of Shelton found in five counties in England. Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Salop and Staffordshire all had townships by the name of Shelton. This place-name was originally derived by the Old English elements scylf and tun, which denoted a ledge or plateau in the landscape. 1 2

Early Origins of the Shilten family

The surname Shilten was first found in Norfolk at Shelton, a parish, in the union and hundred of Defwade. "This place was anciently the property of the Sheltons, who were owners of the Hall, a castellated structure long since pulled down. From that family the estate passed to Sir Robert Houghton, one of the justices of the king's bench." 3

Some of the family held estates in Great Snoring, Norfolk. "The living is a rectory, with that of Thursford annexed, valued in the king's books at £24, and in the gift of St. John's College, Cambridge: the tithes have been commuted for £539, and the glebe comprises 37 acres, with a house, erected by Sir Richard Shelton. The church is a good structure in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower, and contains some ancient monuments and brasses to the Shelton and other families." 3

The Shilton variant also claims northern England are their ancestral home with Henry of Shilton recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1231. Again in Yorkshire, we found John de Schelton in the Assize Rolls for 1260. 4

Early History of the Shilten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shilten research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1222, 1460, 1475, 1476, 1502, 1529, 1537, 1539, 1555, 1561, 1576, 1579, 1601, 1604, 1612, 1626, 1647, 1649, 1650, 1700 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Shilten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shilten Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Shilten has appeared include Shelton, Sheltone, Shilton and others.

Early Notables of the Shilten family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Shelton, also known as John Skelton (c.1460-1529), an English poet; Rauf Shelton of Yorkshire; Anne Shelton nee Boleyn (1475-1555), aunt of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII; and Sir John Shelton (1476-1539), courtier during the reign of Henry VIII of England.Thomas Shelton (fl. 1612), was the first translator of 'Don Quixote' into English, may possibly be identical with the Thomas Sheldon who was fourth son of William Sheldon of Broadway, Worcestershire, a kinsman of Edward Sheldon, of Beoley. 5Thomas Shelton (1601-1650?), was an English stenographer, descended from an old Norfolk family...
Another 144 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shilten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shilten family to Ireland

Some of the Shilten family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 41 words (3 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 Shilten family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Shilten arrived in North America very early: Richard and Francis Shelton who settled in Virginia in 1638; Samuel and Esther Shelton settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765 with Hannah; Samuel Shelton settled in Barbados with his servants in 1680.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print