Charnock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient history of the Charnock name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in Charnock. It was established there in a pair of townships in Standish in the county of Lancashire. This surname is derived from the Old English Charnok which means one who lives beside the pile of stones. Often times this pile of stones served a primitive marker to establish borders for villages or counties. 1
However, another source claims the name was originally Norman having "derived from the town of Chernoc, in Normandy." 2
Early Origins of the Charnock family
The surname Charnock was first found in Lancashire at Charnock, Heath, a township, in the district chapelry of Adlington, parish of Standish, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland. Charnock-Richard is a nearby township, in the district chapelry of Coppull, parish of Standish, union of Chorley "This place was held in moieties by the Charnocks and Banasters. " 3
"The Charnocks, who have their present home in the Ormskirk district, take their name from Lancashire townships. Roger de Chernock was mayor of Liverpool in 1437." 4
Early History of the Charnock family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charnock research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1525, 1526, 1581, 1587, 1588, 1614, 1624, 1628, 1630, 1645, 1648, 1656, 1663, 1670, 1680, 1690, 1693, 1696 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Charnock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Charnock Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Charnock include Chernock, Charnock, Chernick, Chernocke and many more.
Early Notables of the Charnock family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Thomas Charnock (c.1526-1581), an English alchemist and occultist who devoted his life to the quest for the Philosopher's Stone. Born in the Isle of Thanet, Kent, in 1524 or 1525, he travelled "all ov...
- Roger Charnock (1588-1645), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Newton in 1614; Thomas Charnock (1587-1648), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Newton in 1624; and Stephen...
- Job Charnock (c.1630-1693), was an English merchant. He joined the East India Company in 1656, and became chief agent. In 1690 while under siege, he moved its factories to the mouth of the Ganges, thu...
- Robert Charnock (c.1663-1696) was an English academic and Jacobite conspirator who attempted to kill William III near Turnham Green in February 1696. He was hanged for his crime. The Tower of London A...
Charnock migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Charnock or a variant listed above:
Charnock Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- An Charnock, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 5
Charnock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Joseph Charnock, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 5
- Captain John Charnock of Bedford, who settled in Boston in 1710
- Mary Charnock, who settled in Georgia in 1732
- Thomas Charnock, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1774
Charnock Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Hugh Charnock, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1812 5
Charnock Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- David Charnock, aged 23, who landed in America from Waterloo, England, in 1907
- Ethel Charnock, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States from Warrington, England, in 1911
- John Charnock, aged 71, who immigrated to the United States from Bolton, England, in 1919
- Eliza Charnock, aged 26, who settled in America from Liverpool, England, in 1920
- Elizabeth E. Charnock, aged 29, who landed in America from Accrington, England, in 1921
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Charnock migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Charnock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Charnock, (b. 1806), aged 31, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Charnock (post 1700) +
- John N. Charnock Jr. (b. 1929), American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Kanawha County, 1957-58; Defeated, 1958, 1960 7
- John H. Charnock, American Republican politician, Adjutant General of West Virginia, 1921-25 7
- Lewis Charnock (b. 1994), English rugby league player
- Philip Anthony "Phil" Charnock (b. 1975), English professional footballer
- Mark Charnock (b. 1968), English actor, best known for his twenty year performance as Marlon Dingle, in ITV's Emmerdale
- Kieran Charnock (b. 1984), English footballer who has played professionally since 2001, member of the England C National Team (2005-2007)
- Lindsay Charnock (1955-2015), English flat racing jockey
- Henry Charnock CBE FRS (1920-1997), British meteorologist
The Charnock 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: Soyez content
Motto Translation: Be happy
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html