Cobban History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Cobban begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Cobham Kent, a village and civil parish in the Gravesham District that dates back to before the Norman Conquest. The first record of the village was in 939 where it was listed as Cobba hammes mearce.

Cobham, Surrey was established later as the first record of the village in the Borough of Elmbridge was in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Covenham. Both places have the same origin as in "enclosure or homestead of a man called Cobba," having derived from the Old English personal name + hamm or ham. 1

Early Origins of the Cobban family

The surname Cobban was first found in Kent where Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham (c. 1260-1339) was the oldest Baron of Cobham created in 1313. His father John de Cobham of Cobham, Kent, and of Cowling or Cooling, Kent (died c. 1300) was Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Rochester and Chief Baron of the Exchequer. This line would carry on until 1951 when Robert Disney Leith Alexander, 16th Baron Cobham died. However, there were three other creations of the Barons of Cobham at similar times located in Runham, Sterborough and again in Kent. About the same time, Thomas Cobham was Archbishop of Canterbury-elect in 1313 and later Bishop of Worcester.

Further south and west in Cornwall, "the manor of Whitstone, to the house of which, according to Mr. Whitaker, the parish is indebted for its name, belonged at the time when Doomsday Survey was taken, to the Earl of Moreton, and was one of the 288 manors which he enjoyed from the bounty of the Conqueror. At a subsequent period it belonged to the family of Cobham." 2

Early History of the Cobban family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cobban research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1307, 1313, 1332, 1339, 1381, 1398, 1408, 1700 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Cobban History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cobban Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cobban has undergone many spelling variations, including Cobham, Cobbam, Cobban and others.

Early Notables of the Cobban family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Henry de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham, (1260-1339), Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1307, He also held the titles of Sheriff of Kent, Constable of Canterbury, Tonbridge, Dover and Rochester Castles, all in Kent; and John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham (d. 1408), son of John de Cobham, 2nd Baron Cobham and Joan de Beauchamp, given a licence to crenellate by Richard II in 1381 and built...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cobban Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cobban family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cobban were among those contributors: Mary Cobham who settled in Barbados with servants in 1680; Robert Cobham, who came to Philadelphia in 1774; Thomas Cobham, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718.

The Cobban 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: Concordia
Motto Translation: Concord.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print