Show ContentsCockshott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Cockshott name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Cockshut a small chapelry in the county of Salop. The distinguished name Cockshott is derived from the Old English word of Coccscyute, when translated means the place where they stretched the nets to catch a small game bird called a woodcock.

Early Origins of the Cockshott family

The surname Cockshott was first found in Sussex, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Cockshott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockshott research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1312, 1327, 1562, 1628 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Cockshott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cockshott Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cockshott has undergone many spelling variations, including Cockshut, Cockshot, Cockshoot, Cokshute, Cokshote, Cocshete, Cocke Shoute, Cockshutt, Cockshute, Cokschote and many more.

Early Notables of the Cockshott family

More information is included under the topic Early Cockshott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cockshott migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. 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 Cockshott were among those contributors:

Cockshott Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Cockshott, who landed in Virginia in 1635 [1]
  • Jane Cockshott, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 [1]
  • John Cockshott, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 [1]
  • Mary Cockshott, who arrived in Maryland in 1641 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Cockshott (post 1700) +

  • George Cockshott, English amateur boat designer from Southport who in 1912 designed a 12 foot dinghy that would receive world-wide recognition and create a sailing class of it's own
  • Gerald Wilfred Cockshott (1915-1979), English composer, librettist, writer and teacher
  • Paul Cockshott (b. 1952), Scottish computer scientist and reader at the University of Glasgow


  1. 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)


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