Cockrele is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cockrele family lived in Gloucestershire. The family was originally from Cocquerel, near Evreux, Normandy, and it is from that location that their name derives.
The surname Cockrele was first found in Gloucestershire where Illyas de Kokerel held fiefs in 1165 from Bohun and Neumarché. [1] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Geoffrey Cokerell in Norfolk; John Cokerel in Yorkshire; and Reginald Kokerel in Cambridgeshire. [2] "In 1324 Sir William Cockerell was returned from Essex to attend a great council at Westminster." [1] The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list the following: Matilda Cokrell; Elias Cokrell and Alicia Cokerell. [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockrele research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1305 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Cockrele History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Cockerell, Cockerill, Cockrill, Cockrell and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Cockrele Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Cockrele family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Cockrele or a variant listed above: William Cockerell who settled in Barbados in 1639; followed by Nicholas who also settled in Barbados in 1678; Thomas Cockerill settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1845..