Show ContentsShipway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Shipway

What does the name Shipway mean?

Shipway is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Shipway 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 Shipway family

The surname Shipway 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 Shipway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shipway 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 Shipway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shipway Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Skipwith, Skipworth, Shipwith, Shipworth and others.

Early Notables of the Shipway family

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 of Prestwould (d. c. 1680); Sir William Skipwith...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shipway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shipway migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Shipway or a variant listed above were:

Shipway Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Shipway, who arrived in New York in 1838 5

Shipway migration to Australia +

Shipway Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Shipway, aged 34, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Cheapside" 6
  • J. Shipway, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cheapside" in 1849 6
  • Mr. William Shipway, (b. 1814), aged 42, English labourer from Boxwell with Leighterton, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, England, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 7
  • Mrs. Sarah Shipway (née Strong), (b. 1813), aged 43, English settler from Boxwell with Leighterton, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, England, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856, gave birth to a girl on 9th August 1856 7
  • Mr. Edward Shipway, (b. 1846), aged 10, English settler from Boxwell with Leighterton, Cotswold, Gloucestershire, England, UKtravelling from Plymouth, Devon, UK aboard the ship "Aliquis" arriving in Adelaide, Australia on 26th August 1856 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Shipway (post 1700) +

  • William Charles Shipway (1862-1925), Australian politician, Free Trade member for Paddington in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (1894-1895)
  • Matt Shipway (b. 1985), Australian former professional rugby league footballer and current coach of the Port Macquarie Sharks
  • Mark Shipway (b. 1976), Australian former professional rugby league player
  • George Shipway (1908-1982), British author best known for his historical novels and his political satire The Chilian Club
  • Frank Edwin Shipway (1935-2014), British conductor from Birmingham, assistant conductor to Lorin Maazel of the Berlin Opera in 1973, conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (1991-1995); he was killed as a result of a car accident in Wedhampton, England
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CHEAPSIDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cheapside.htm
  7. The Ships List Passenger Lists Ship Aliquis (Retrieved 26th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/aliquis1856.shtml

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