The history of the Cockrofte family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Carcroft, a hamlet in the parish of Owston in Yorkshire.
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Early Origins of the Cockrofte family
The surname Cockrofte was first found in South Yorkshire, at Carcroft, a rural village part of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The earliest record of the village was in the 12th century when it was listed as Kercroft and literally meant "enclosure near the marsh" having derived from the Old Scandinavian word "kjarr" + and the Old English word "croft." 1
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Early History of the Cockrofte family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cockrofte research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1296, 1379 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Cockrofte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Cockrofte 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 Cockrofte include Cockcroft, Cocckecroft, Carrecroft, Calcraft, Chalcraft, Choldcorft, Cracroft, Chalcroft and many more.
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Early Notables of the Cockrofte family
More information is included under the topic Early Cockrofte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Cockrofte family
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 Cockrofte or a variant listed above: George Cockcroft who arrived in Virginia in 1641; and James Cockcroft who sailed to New York in 1789.
England
