This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the hernshaw,' a young heron. Heronsew is still used in Cumberland in the same sense, (a) Local, 'at the heronshaw,' a heronry, from residence beside the same. Cotgrave has Old French haironniere, 'a heron's neast, or ayrie; a hemeshaw, or shaw of wood wherein herons breed' (v. heronshaw, Skeat). Probably Henshaw (which see) is a variant of Hernshaw.

Johannes Hemshagh, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1631. Laurence Eamshaw, of Hollingworth: Wills at Chester.

1800. Married — Thomas Dunkle and Elizabeth Eamshaw: St. George, Hanover Square.

(Anglo-French-Teut.) 1 a nickname from the Young Heron [Early Modern English herne- shaw, Middle English heronsewe, Old French herounceau, herouncel, diminutive from Old French hairon, from O.H.Ger.

heigir with suff. -on] As when a cast of Faulcons make their flight At an herneshaw that lyes aloft on wing.

—Spenser, Faerie Queene, VI. vii. 9. 2 Dweller at a Heronry [as above, with confusion with Middle English shaw(e, Old English sc(e)aga, a wood] [HERON, HERRON] (Anglo-French-Teut.) 1 a nickname from the bird.

2 a name derived from a trade-sign [Middle English heron, heroun, hen(e, Old French hairon (Mod. French héron), as above] (Celtic) for A’He(a)rn, q.v. (Joyce)

Local-from Anglo-Saxon earn, an eagle, and sceaga, a wilderness, (Leo) grove, or shaw.

Local. From hern, a kind of fowl, a hern, and shaw, a shady inclosure, a place where hems breed.

Joshua Earnshaw, merchant, who was lord mayor of York in 1692, was the son of a yeoman of Holme in the parish of Kirkburton: be founded a school at Holme, and worthily endowed with social position and good fame his family and their descendants (Morehouse's "Kirkburton"). The Earnshaws are still in Kirkburton.