Cooker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cooker reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cooker family lived in Somerset, where they lived in either East or West Coker. Both are parishes, in the union of Yeovil, hundred of Houndsborough. 1

It is generally believed that the family was originally Norman and claim descent from the "Mandevilles from the castle and barony of Manneville or Magneville, in the Cotentin. Geoffry de Manneville came 1066 to England, and received a great barony in Essex. " One of his sons, William Mandeville of Coker, Somerset, paid scutage for that lordship in 1203. "Sir John de Mandeville was Lord of Coker 1275, and had Robert de Mandeville, whose sister and heir sold Coker to the Courtenays. Robert de Coker, brother of Sir John, witnessed a charter of Robert de Mandeville regarding Coker. His descendants long held Coker. " 2

Early Origins of the Cooker family

The surname Cooker was first found in Somerset where there is an East, and West Coker. North Coker no longer exists. The place name dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cocre, part of the Houdsborough hundred and was originally the name of a stream there, a Celtic river-name meaning "crooked, winding." 3

East Coker was the second poem of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets and was directly connected to Eliot's ancestry and East Coker's church was later to house Eliot's ashes.

A scan of early rolls revealed John de Coker, Somerset, 1 Edward III; and William de Coker, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also included Thomas Coker, Somerset; and Adam Coker, Essex. 5

Early History of the Cooker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooker research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1523, 1563, 1607, 1617, 1646, 1647, 1656, 1660, 1683, 1697, 1698, 1722, 1727 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Cooker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooker Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cooker family name include Coker, Coaker, Cokers and others.

Early Notables of the Cooker family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Coker (c. 1523-1607), of Mappowder, Dorset, Member of Parliament for Bletchingley in 1563. He "describes himself in his 'Survey of Dorsetshire ' as belonging to the younger branch of 'the antient and well-respected familie of Cokers,' who were beholden to Coker in Somersetshire for their name, but who were then dwelling at Mappowder in Dorsetshire (Survey, p. 98). According to the pedigree of the Cokers of Mappowder, inserted in Hutchins's 'Dorset...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cooker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooker migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Cooker family to immigrate North America:

Cooker Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cooker, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6

Cooker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Cooker, who landed in Virginia in 1702 6
Petter Cooker, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 6
Bartle Cooker, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 6

Cooker migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cooker Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Eliz Cooker, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)