William Girdlestone Shellabear (1862–1947) was a "pioneer"[1] scholar and missionary in British Malaya (today, part of Malaysia).
[2][3] W. G. Shellabear, as he was generally known, was born at Holkham Hall on 7 August 1862 in Norfolk, England, where his father was estate manager.
He also collaborated with a Malay scholar, Sulaiman bin Muhammed Nur (also known as Sulaiman bin Muhammad Nor), in joint publications such as Kitab Kiliran Budi (The Book of Wisdom, a collection of proverbs) and Hikayat Hang Tuah (The Life of Hang Tuah).
They had one son, Hugh Percy Shellabear (1891-1972), who in 1947 would be reported as working a general practitioner in Reading, Pennsylvania.
In 1924 he married Emma Naomi (nee Ruth) (1886-1972), a missionary to Java who was then studying in Madison, New Jersey.