Show ContentsHoldcroft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Holdcroft date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Holdcroft family lived in the area of Holcroft in Lancashire. [1] [2]

Early Origins of the Holdcroft family

The surname Holdcroft was first found in Lancashire where one of the first record of the name was Robert de Holecroft, who was listed in the Assize Rolls in 1246. A few years later, John Holecroft was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. [3]

"Lytham [a parish in Lancashire] is mentioned in the Domesday Survey from 1086 under the name of Lidun. It early belonged, by gift of Richard Fitz-Roger, to the monks of Durham, and after the Reformation was granted to Sir Thomas Holcroft, whose descendant, Sir John, is said to have sold the property in 1606 to Sir Cuthbert Clifton, ancestor of the present lord of the manor." [4]

Early History of the Holdcroft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holdcroft research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1425, 1629, 1640, 1644, 1648, 1650, 1656, 1662, 1692, 1693, 1745 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Holdcroft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holdcroft Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Holdcroft are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Holdcroft include: Holcroft, Holcrofte, Howcroft, Hocroft and others.

Early Notables of the Holdcroft family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Henry Holcroft, from West Ham in Essex and his son, Francis Holcroft (c.1629-1693), an English Puritan divine. "He is said to have been born at West Ham in Essex. Tillotson, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, was his 'chamber-fellow' at Clare Hall, Cambridge, about 1650. Holcroft eventually formed a church on congregational principles, and, after being ejected in 1662 from Bassingbourne, became a bitter opponent of Episcopalianism." [5]John Holcroft (died 1656), was an English politician, sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1648, fought in the Parliamentary army in...
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holdcroft Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Holdcroft migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Holdcroft or a variant listed above:

Holdcroft Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Holdcroft, who landed in Ohio in 1884 [6]
Holdcroft Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charles Henry Holdcroft, aged 61, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Liverpool, England [7]
  • Edward Holdcroft, aged 23, originally from Dunleer, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Liverpool, England [7]
  • Sarah Annie Holdcroft, aged 27, originally from Stoke-on-Trent, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Celtic" from Liverpool, England [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Holdcroft (post 1700) +

  • Hugh Edward "Ted" Holdcroft (1882-1952), English footballer who played from 1901 to 1905
  • James H. Holdcroft (1874-1926), English footballer who played for Burslem Port Vale (1894-1897)
  • George Henry "Harry" Holdcroft (1909-1983), English international football goalkeeper, member of the England National Team and The Football League XI in 1936


  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. 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)
  7. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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