This very interesting name appears to be of Olde English pre 7th Century origin and drive from the North East where it is popular under a variety of spellings. These include Chivel, Shevell, Shevill, Sheivels and Shawel and as Shevill there is a Coat of Arms granted for Shevill of Bishopwearmonth, Co. Durham being a Chevron between two bars of Silver on a red field. There is also a Coat of Arms under "Shewal and all that ilk", a metonymic job description for a digger or tunneller and recorded as Turoldus le Scurel in 1148 (Hampshire), although this is not a surname. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Shevill. which was dated 1594, who was baptised at Ryton Church, Durham. during the reign of QQueen Elizabeth 1, known as Good Queen Bess, 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.