Coudrey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Coudrey is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Coudrey family lived in Berkshire. The name, however, refers to the area of Cordray, in Eure, Normandy, where the family lived prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. "Benedict de Coudray was witness to a charter of Roger de Menilwarin to Deulacresse Abbey (Mon. ii.) and Fulco de Coudray held one fee from Abingdon Abbey." 1

Early Origins of the Coudrey family

The surname Coudrey was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where John de Coudray (no county) was listed. A few years later, the Writs of Parliament listed William de Coudraye, 1307. 2

Early History of the Coudrey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coudrey research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1577, 1588, 1590, 1600, 1616, 1618, 1619, 1664 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Coudrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coudrey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Cowdrey, Cowdray, Cowderey, Cowderoy, Corderoy, Cordroy, Cowdroy, Cowdry, Cowdery and many more.

Early Notables of the Coudrey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Julien Coudrey (or Couldray) (d. 1530), was a French watchmaker, Paris, royal watchmaker of Louis XI of France and Francis I of France

Migration of the Coudrey family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Coudrey name or one of its variants: William Cowdrey who settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1630; Anne Cowdrey settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1763; with her three children; William Cowdery settled in Virginia in 1656..

Contemporary Notables of the name Coudrey (post 1700) +

Harry Marcy Coudrey (1867-1930), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Missouri 12th District, 1906-11 3

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html