Show ContentsOccleshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Occleshaw family

The surname Occleshaw was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat in Ockilshaw, near Wigan in that shire. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1401 when John Okylschagh held estates outside Wigan. The name is frequently confused with the name Occleston, in the parish of Middlewich in Cheshire but so far is know there is no connection between the two names.

Early History of the Occleshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Occleshaw research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Occleshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Occleshaw Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Occleshaw family name include Ockleshaw, Ockilshaw, Occilshaw, Occelshaw, Occleshaw, Ockleshaw, Ogleshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Occleshaw family

More information is included under the topic Early Occleshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Occleshaw migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Occleshaw Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Occleshaw, (b. 1818), aged 24, English boiler maker who was convicted in Wigan, Greater Mancester, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 1st October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 1


  1. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland


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