The Sheldon Tapestries
The Sheldon Tapestries marked an attempt by wealthy landowner William Sheldon and his son Ralph to create new rural employment opportunities through the development of new skills imported from continental Europe.
Sheldon fortunes take a downwards turn
Ralph Sheldon was fortunate not to have been drawn into the 1583 Throckmorton Plot to murder Queen Elizabeth and replace her on the English throne with Mary Queen of Scots…
A life blighted by the march of religious change
A first look at the life of Ralph Sheldon, whose days were dogged by religious persecution and by greedy adversaries who cast envious eyes over his vast wealth…
US descendants cherished John Sheldon’s memory
Back in 2006, seventh-generation American descendants of an eminent Victorian entrepreneur and manufacturer embarked upon a pilgrimage back to the city of Birmingham…
The mysterious past of pen maker John Sheldon
John Sheldon was always vague about his age and background giving different dates and places of birth in numerous ‘official documents’ throughout his lifetime…
John Sheldon (1802-1863), pioneering manufacturer
John Sheldon was a pioneering manufacturer and innovator during the early years of the explosive growth in industrial capacity in the city of Birmingham. Innovators such as Sheldon were the catalyst for the rapid expansion of what was soon to become…
Ralph Sheldon (1468-1546) the first coal king
The Sheldons had already acquired great wealth through sheep farming and weaving when Ralph Sheldon, quite late in life, acquired land at Cole Orton in Leicestershire in around 1533, possibly at the behest…
The Black Death and the first Ralph Sheldon
THE FIRST NAME in the earliest recorded Sheldon pedigree is that of Ralph Sheldon, believed to have been born in the village of Sheldon, Warwickshire, around 1320, a hundred years or so after…
Where Sheldons were found in the 16th century
A SEARCH THROUGH the earliest-available parish records from 16th century England gives us a good indication of the geographical distribution of people with the Sheldon surname at the time…
The birth of the first great Sheldon dynasty
THE EARLIEST RECORDED SHELDON DYNASTY begins with Anselm de Scheldon, from whom will grow a hugely wealthy and powerful family that would spread its power and influence into every corner…