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![Show Contents]() Cokfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The history of the Cokfield family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Cockfield, Durham or in Suffolk. Cockfield Hall is in Yoxford, Suffolk and was originally held by the Cokefeud family who had held it since the beginning of the 14th century. Early Origins of the Cokfield familyThe surname Cokfield was first found in Suffolk at Cockfield, a village and civil parish near Lavenham. This village is much older than the aforementioned Durham village at this one dates back to the 10th century when it was listed as Cochanfelde. The first record of the Durham village was in 1223 when it was listed as Kokefeld. 1 There are two possible meaning of the place names: "open land of a man called Cohha" derived from the Old English personal name + feld; and "open land frequented by cocks (of wild birds.)" 1 However, despite all of the above, we must look to Oxfordshire to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Lucia de Kokefled was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1198. A few years later, Robert de Cockfeld was listed in Cheshire in 1236-1247. 2 Early History of the Cokfield familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cokfield research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1198, 1275 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Cokfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cokfield Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cokfield include Cockfield, Cocksfield, Cofield, Coefield, Coffield and many more. Early Notables of the Cokfield familyMore information is included under the topic Early Cokfield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Cokfield familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cokfield or a variant listed above: Ann Coffield who settled in New England in 1758 along with her husband William.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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