Sheard Connections

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Connections to Other Sheard Pages
Sheards in Birstall Parish, Early Records, 1640 and Later

Sheard, Thomas, progenitor of the Sheards who settled the Batley and Birstall parishes

John Sheard, Briestwell (16??-1690)

Sheard, Michael (1689-?) m. Abigail Healy

Sheard, Jonas (1713-1789) m. Dinah Kirk

Sheard, George, (1740-1824) m. Hannah Blakeley

Sheard, Michael (1742-1811) m. Sarah Barber

Sheard, Michael (1777-1837) m. Sarah Lister

Sheards in New York State

Sheard, Henrietta, daughter of Joseph Sheard, b. 1856

Descendants of George Sheard in the English Censuses

Descendants of Michael Sheard in the English Censuses

Other Sheards in Batley

Other Sheards in the Batley Census

The Sheards and Shoddy in Berlin

Thomas Sheard born 1696 Mirfield emigrated to New Jersey USA

John Sheard and Sarah Brown, genealogy from John Farnhill, March 2009


Connections to Related Families
Healy, Abigail wife of Michael Sheard (b 1688)

Lilly, Mary, the wife of Joshua Healey, parents of Abigail

Kirk, Dinah wife of Jonas Sheard (b 1713)

Barber, Sarah wife of Michael Sheard (b 1742)

Benjamin Law, Husband of Lydia Sheard (b 1781)


The Sheards

The Sheard branch of the Land family can be traced back to the marriage of Michael Sheard and Abigail Healy in Bristall Parish in 1712.

    Michael Sheard
    Birth: Unknown
    Marriage: Michael Sheard married Abigail Healy on November 13, 1712 in Birstall Parish.
    Son:
      Jonas Sheard, the son of Michael Sheard and Abigail Healy, was baptized in Birstall parish church on May 24, 1713.
      Marriage: Jonas Sheard married Dinah Kirk on November 19, 1739 in Birstall Parish
      Son:
        Michael Sheard, the son of Jonas Sheard and Dinah Kirk was baptized in Birstall parish church on December 12, 1742.
        Marriage: Michael Sheard married Sarah Barber on in May 1763 in Birstall Parish.
        Daughter:
          Lydia Sheard, the daughter of Michael Sheard and Sarah Barber, was baptized in the Batley parish church on October 14, 1781.
          Marriage: Lydia Sheard married Benjamin Law on April 20, 1801 in Leeds.
          Son:
            William Law, the son of Benjamin Law and Lydia Sheard was born in Batley on March 12, 1809.
            Marriage: William Law married Mary Worth in Cheshire circa 1834
            Daughter:
              Lydia Law, the daughter of William Law and Mary Worth, was born in Cheshire circa 1836.
              Marriage: Lydia Law married John Land on November 7, 1857 in Gomersal, Birstall Parish.
              Son:
                Law Land, the son of Lydia Law and John Land was born in in the town of Batley, Parish of Batley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England on December 29, 1858.

The Name Sheard

George Redmonds in YSS Part II says Sheard was

"A surname found in Sheffield and Pipon in the 1400's, but originating outside Yorkshire, possibly in Cheshire (see Reaney). In the 16th century there was a Sheard family in Overden (Halifax) which was responsible for the name's ramification: Thomas Sheard of Overton, who died in 1565, had four sons, who apparently moved down the Calder valley, settling in Batley, Mirfield and Kirkheaton. The name is still common in that area and various branches of the family became millers, coal-owners, and quarry developers in Lepton and Gawthorpe Green."
Records listed by Redmonds:
  1. 1545 Richard Sheard (Overden) Subsidy Rolls
  2. 1641 Luke Sheard (Kirkheaton) Protestant Returns."


Sheard Origins

In March 2012 Ruth Sheard wrote:

The Sheard family name can be traced back to the Lords of the Manor of Sherde and Disley in the 13th century. They were foresters (land agents) in the High Peaks under Edward 11 onwards ( ie the Earls of Chester) and managed all the lands around Macclesfield Forest and Chapel-en-le-Frith, where most of them were buried. The arms of the family registered at the College of Arms shows the traditional hunting horn.

The High Peaks of Derbyshire were the royal hunting grounds and divided into three areas: the west centred on Macclesfield, the east along the Hope Valley and the southern area. The three divisions (ridings!) met at Peveril Castle in Castleton.

The Sherdes (Sheards) managed the western section of the High Peaks - Longdendale - hunting grounds until the time of Oliver Cromwell, when there appears to be a split in the main branch - some on the side of the King and others on the side of Cromwell. The last of the main line of descent is currently resident in Cawthorne, where he works as a tenant farmer. The right to bear arms was sold to a wealthier branch of the family in Rotherham in late Georgian/early Victorian times when it was considered important by young army officers (though I think the claim spurious). Anyway the Sheard name was lost through marriage. [Nb. It changed to Sheart, Shard and Shirt somewhere along the way.]

I suspect the 15th century Thomas Sheard was a descendent of the first Sir John Sherde but without reading the wills of the 14th and 15th century Sheards it is impossible to determine the exact lineage. He would no doubt have been involved in the transportation of woollen cloth tthrough the High Peaks to the major trading centres of West Yorkshire, Cheshire and Lancashire.

The pedigree can be found in 'The Pedigree of West Yorkshire Families' in the old West Yorkshire library archives (family history section).

Pedigree of Sherde family (Sherd, Sheard, Sheart, Shert, Shirt, Shirte) submitted by Ruth Sheard March 2012
  • Sir John de Sherde. Lord of Sherd and of Disley Stanley in the hundred of Macclesfield held 1342 16 Edward III certain forestership in Macclesfield forest j. u. Married (a) Joan, heir general of the Disteleys . According to Mr Ormerod, the Cheshire historian, she was probably a daughter of Richard de Perton, who by inq. p. m. taken after 1342, was shown to have held, by grand sergeantcy from the Earl of Chester, with others, a forestership in Macclesfield forest, at which time his kinsmen, Richard , son of Richard de Sherd, and Richard, son of Richard de Reddish, were next heirs.

  • Sir William de Sherde. Son of Sir John and lord of Sherd. Elder brother of Thomas del Sherd, of Sherd Hall near Wilmslow (married to Cecilia )and uncle to his daughter Margaret de Sherd (married to Geoffrey Verdon of Sherd) j. u. heiress. Married 1390.

  • William del Sherde. Son of Sir William and lord of Sherd. By inq. p. m. taken 16 Henry IV 1437 he was found to hold in demense, as of fee, messuages and lands in Distelegh , and a forestship in Distelegh, from the King, as the tenth part of a knight's fee, val xxi(8) viii(4) etc. He was also of Adlington , near Disley, where to this day there is an old building known as Sherd-fould and which was built in the middle of the seventeenth century.

  • Hugh del Sherde of Sherd and Disley. Son of William del Sherde and hereditary forester of Macclesfield . Inq. p.m. 13 Edward IV 1472

  • William del Sherde of Sherd and Disley. Son of Hugh Del Sherde and hereditary forester of Macclesfield. By inq. p. m. 12 Henry VIII, 1497 he was in possession of "Disteleigh"

  • William Sherd of Sherd and Disley Esq. Son of William Del Sherde and hereditary forester of Macclesfield ob 5 Henry VIII 1513. Inq. per Breve de Mand 7 Henry VIII, by which it was found his son William was then aged 4 years. Elder Brother of Edmund Sherd of Nantwich, 35 Henry VIII

  • William Sherd of Sherd Hall and Disley Esq. Son of William Sherd and forester of Macclesfield. Aged 4 years 1513, proof of age 25 Henry VIII, buried at Disley 21st September 1592. Elder brother of Thomas Sherd de Disley , Richard Sherd of Disley and Nicholas Shert of ye Chappell -of -ye-Frith (see below).

  • William Sherd of Sherd and Dishley in com. Cestr. Son of William Sherd and forester of ye forest of Maxfield by inheritance, at the head of the genealogy of Sherd in the Heraldic visitation of Chester 1663. Buried at Disley 6 February 1623. Elder brother of George Shert of the Haigh, buried at Disley 22 January 1624

  • William Sherd of Sherd and Disley. Son of William Sherd and younger brother and heir of John Sherd who died s.p. Buried at Disley "Here lyeth buried the body of William Shert of Disley, which departed this life ye 16 of Aprill anno dni 1639." Harl. MSS.2151 and tomb at Disley. [John Sherd of Sherd and Disley Esq. married "Bridget, daughter of Leonard Shallcrosse of Shallcrosse in Chester" and died s. p. In 44 Queen Elizabeth, with others, he purchased lands at Cawthorne, co. York of Edward Talbot, who succeeded Wm Stanley, Lord Monteagle, in an estate at that place.] William Sherd was the elder brother of Robert Shirt of Disley Esq. and married Dorothy, daughter of Arnold Kyrke of Martinside, in the parish of Chapell-en-le Frith.

  • William Sherd of Sherd and Dishley. Son of William Sherd and forester of 'The forest of Maxfield' by inheritance, aged 58 in 1663. This William was the elder brother of John Sherd of Cawthorne, co. York Esq. [baptized at Disley with "Elizabeth Shirte" of Ingbirchworth, 9 September 1608. His name appears in the Subsidy Roll of the wapentake of Staincross, co.York,1663, mar. to Margaret, daughter of John Jackson of Ordsall, co. Chester, Esq.] William was also the elder brother of Edmund Sherd and Catherine Sherd. He married Hester, daughter and co-heiress of William Rawlinson of Highgate co. Derby. Esq.

  • William Sherd of Sherd and Disley, Esq. Son of William Sherd hereditary forester of Macclesfield, aged 22, on 16 February 1663. Buried at Disley 4. February 1683. Married to Dorothy and elder brother of Mary Sherd.

  • William Sherd Baptised 23 January 1663 and buried at Disley circa 1681. Elder brother of George Shert of Disley, buried at Chapel-en -le Frith 31 May 1731, and of Lucy Sherd, baptized 19 December 1691 and buried at Disley on 6 May 1691.
  • End of hereditary foresters


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