Cockel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

When the ancestors of the Cockel family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Gloucestershire. The family was originally from Cocquerel, near Evreux, Normandy, and it is from that location that their name derives.

Early Origins of the Cockel family

The surname Cockel was first found in Gloucestershire where Illyas de Kokerel held fiefs in 1165 from Bohun and Neumarché. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Geoffrey Cokerell in Norfolk; John Cokerel in Yorkshire; and Reginald Kokerel in Cambridgeshire. 2 "In 1324 Sir William Cockerell was returned from Essex to attend a great council at Westminster." 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Matilda Cokrell; Elias Cokrell and Alicia Cokerell. 2

Early History of the Cockel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockel research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1305, 1574, 1575, 1754, 1759, 1788, 1790, 1794, 1802, 1807, 1809, 1827, 1832, 1833, 1840, 1861, 1863 and 1878 are included under the topic Early Cockel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Cockel have been found, including Cockerell, Cockerill, Cockrill, Cockrell and others.

Early Notables of the Cockel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1754-1827), English architect, son of John Cockerell of Bishop's Hall, Somersetshire. He was brother of Sir Charles Cockerell, M.P., of Sezincote, Gloucestershire, who was created a Baronet in 1809. His mother was daughter of John Jackson, the nephew and heir of Samuel Pepys, and through her Cockerell became the representative, and inherited many interesting relics, of the great diarist. One of his sons was Charles Robert Cockerell [q. v.], a far more distinguished architect than his father. 3Charles Robert Cockerell (1788-1863), the English architect was the son of Samuel Pepys...
Another 246 words (18 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cockel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cockel family to Ireland

Some of the Cockel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockel migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cockel were among those contributors:

Cockel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Cockel, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 4

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)