Show ContentsColcot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Colcot belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in Caldecot, which was the name of parishes found in Peterborough and Worcestershire. The name was originally derived from the Old English word ceald-cote and literally meant the dweller at the cold-huts. 1 2

The Colgate variant also claims descent from Colegates in Shoreham, Kent or at Colgate in Lower Bleeding, Sussex. 2 The Kent village may now be lost, but there are streets named Colegates, in Faversham, Kent. The Sussex village survives and is now in West Sussex. The earliest record for this variant is Stephen de Colegate who was listed in London in 1300. 2 William Colgate (1783-1857) the English-born, American soap industrialist hailed from Hollingbourne, Kent.

Early Origins of the Colcot family

The surname Colcot was first found in various places named Caldecote or Caldecott throughout Britain including Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

No fewer than five of them are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Caldecote, Cambridgeshire; Caldecota, Hertfordshire; Caldecote, Warwickshire; Caldecote, Leicestershire; and Caldecote, Northamptonshire. Williamscott or Willscott in Oxfordshire was home to the family too.

Early rolls confirmed the wide-spread use of the name in early rolls with many spelling variations: Simon de Caldecot in the Pipe Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1165; Geoffrey de Caudecot in the Curia Regis Rolls for Kent in 1206; William de Cheldecot in Warwickshire in 1225; Edmund de Calicote in the Hundredorum Rolls for Berkshire in 1275; Richard de Coldecote in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and John de Caldekote in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 2

"Walter Calcott, in 1575, endowed a free school here with £13 per annum payable out of his manor of Williamscott, for 40 boys chosen by lot from the villages around." 3 The hamlet was also made famous as the site that Charles I. slept a night or two prior to the battle of Cropredy-Bridge.

Early History of the Colcot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colcot research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1304, 1320, 1766, 1779, 1782, 1783, 1785, 1800, 1836, 1837, 1843, 1844, 1846, 1849 and 1886 are included under the topic Early Colcot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colcot Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Colcot include Caldecot, Caldecott, Caldecotte and others.

Early Notables of the Colcot family

Notables of the family at this time include John Wall Calcott, born November 20, 1766, at Kensington, where his father carried on the business of a bricklayer and builder. Whilst a school-boy he had frequent opportunities of examining the organ at Kensington church, and having funned an acquaintance with the organist became a constant visitor to the organ-loft on Sundays. There he acquired his knowledge of the rudiments of music. His intention was to follow the profession of surgery, but the sight of a severe operation so seriously affected his nerves that he abandoned it and turned his attention to music...
Another 178 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colcot Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Colcot migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Colcot were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Colcot Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Colcot, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4


The Colcot Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In utrumque paratus
Motto Translation: Prepared for both.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. 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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