Cooaker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cooaker came to England with the ancestors of the Cooaker family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cooaker 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 Cooaker family

The surname Cooaker 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 Cooaker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooaker 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 Cooaker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooaker Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Coker, Coaker, Cokers and others.

Early Notables of the Cooaker 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 Cooaker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooaker family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cooaker or a variant listed above: Robert Coker who sailed on the " Mary and John" and settled in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1632; John Coker settled in Virginia in 1623; another John arrived in New England in 1775. The scion of the distinguished family of the U.S.A. was James Lide Coker of Darlington, South Carolina..

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)