Show ContentsCaldcourt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Caldcourt family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Caldcourt comes from when the family lived in Caldecot, which was the name of parishes found in Peterborough and Worcestershire. The name was originally derived from the Old English word ceald-cote and literally meant the dweller at the cold-huts. [1] [2]

The Colgate variant also claims descent from Colegates in Shoreham, Kent or at Colgate in Lower Bleeding, Sussex. [2] The Kent village may now be lost, but there are streets named Colegates, in Faversham, Kent. The Sussex village survives and is now in West Sussex. The earliest record for this variant is Stephen de Colegate who was listed in London in 1300. [2] William Colgate (1783-1857) the English-born, American soap industrialist hailed from Hollingbourne, Kent.

Early Origins of the Caldcourt family

The surname Caldcourt was first found in various places named Caldecote or Caldecott throughout Britain including Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

No fewer than five of them are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Caldecote, Cambridgeshire; Caldecota, Hertfordshire; Caldecote, Warwickshire; Caldecote, Leicestershire; and Caldecote, Northamptonshire. Williamscott or Willscott in Oxfordshire was home to the family too.

Early rolls confirmed the wide-spread use of the name in early rolls with many spelling variations: Simon de Caldecot in the Pipe Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1165; Geoffrey de Caudecot in the Curia Regis Rolls for Kent in 1206; William de Cheldecot in Warwickshire in 1225; Edmund de Calicote in the Hundredorum Rolls for Berkshire in 1275; Richard de Coldecote in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and John de Caldekote in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. [2]

"Walter Calcott, in 1575, endowed a free school here with £13 per annum payable out of his manor of Williamscott, for 40 boys chosen by lot from the villages around." [3] The hamlet was also made famous as the site that Charles I. slept a night or two prior to the battle of Cropredy-Bridge.

Early History of the Caldcourt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caldcourt research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1304, 1320, 1766, 1779, 1782, 1783, 1785, 1800, 1836, 1837, 1843, 1844, 1846, 1849 and 1886 are included under the topic Early Caldcourt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caldcourt Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Caldcourt has appeared include Caldecot, Caldecott, Caldecotte and others.

Early Notables of the Caldcourt family

Notables of the family at this time include John Wall Calcott, born November 20, 1766, at Kensington, where his father carried on the business of a bricklayer and builder. Whilst a school-boy he had frequent opportunities of examining the organ at Kensington church, and having funned an acquaintance with the organist became a constant visitor to the organ-loft on Sundays. There he acquired his knowledge of the rudiments of music. His intention was to follow the profession of surgery, but the sight of a severe operation so seriously affected his nerves that he abandoned it and turned his attention to music...
Another 178 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caldcourt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Caldcourt family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Caldcourt arrived in North America very early: Elizabeth Calcott who settled in Virginia in 1651; James Calcutt settled in San Francisco in 1850; William Caldecot arrived in New York City in 1774.



The Caldcourt 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: In utrumque paratus
Motto Translation: Prepared for both.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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