Coape History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The earliest origins of the family name Coape date back to the Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name given to a person who habitually wore a long cloak or cape. The surname Coape is derived from the Old English word cope, which emerged about 1225 and comes from the Old English word cape, which refers to a cloak or cape.

Early Origins of the Coape family

The surname Coape was first found in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire where the family "appear in the character of civil servants of the crown in the reign of Richard II and Henry IV, and were rewarded with large grants of land." 1 The held family seats at Hardwick and Hanwell, both in the neighbourhood of Banbury. 1

Another source claims "Staffordshire is the home of the Copes, who are most numerous in the district of Stoke - on - Trent. In the reign of Charles II., Jonathan Cope, of Rauton Abbey, was High Sheriff for the county. The name is also represented in Cheshire and Derbyshire. The ancestors of the line of baronets of this name seem to hail originally from Oxfordshire. In the 13th century the name was established in Bucks, Beds, London, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire." 2

Early History of the Coape family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coape research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1551, 1557, 1578, 1588, 1601, 1604, 1614, 1632, 1660, 1675, 1690, 1745, 1760 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Coape History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coape Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Coape include Cope, Coap, Coape, Copes and others.

Early Notables of the Coape family

Distinguished members of the family include Alan Cope (d. 1578), English Catholic divine, "a native of the city of London. He was educated at Oxford, and after taking the degree of B.A. was made perpetual fellow of Magdalen College in 1549. " 3 Sir Anthony Cope (d. 1551), was an early English author, second son of William Cope of Hanwell, Oxfordshire, cofferer to Henry VII, by his second wife Joan, daughter of John Spencer of Hodnell, Warwickshire, was a member of Oriel College, Oxford, but does not appear to have graduated. 3 Michael Cope (fl. 1557), was a Protestant author who fled from...
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coape Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Coape family to Ireland

Some of the Coape family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coape migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Coape Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Coape, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Coape (post 1700) +

Sir John Coape Sherbrooke (1764-1830), Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1811, eponym of Sherbrooke, Quebec, and Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia and Sir John Sherbrooke, a Canadian privateer vessel during the War of 1812

The Coape 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: Aequo adeste animo
Motto Translation: Be present with mind unchangeable.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)