Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Cocksword. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Cocksword family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which
hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval
England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Cocksword is a
local type of surname and the Cocksword family lived in
Devon, at the village of
Coxworth.Early Origins of the Cocksword family
The surname Cocksword was first found in
Devon where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor of Yarnscombe in that county. At the time of the taking of the
Domesday Book in 1086 A.D. the estates of Yarnescombe (anciently spelt Hernescombe) were held by Robert from Baldwin the Sheriff of
Devon and, conjecturally, the family name may be descended from this person although the Cornish source may predominate by their close relationship to the Cornish family of Trevalian. By the nature of an explanation of the meaning of the name, a "worthy" was one who held personal rights above and beyond the influence of the tenant-in-chief, in this case the rights to a roost of a cock, hens and chickens, and more importantly, the manure therefrom. All other roosts were the property of the Lords of the Manor. To be a worthy of any farm product meant a person of high distinction, next to the Lords of the Manor and usually succeeding to that position.
Early History of the Cocksword family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cocksword research.
Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 151 and 1515 are included under the topic Early Cocksword History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cocksword Spelling Variations
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into
England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly,
spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of
Cornwall and the rest of
England. The Cornish spoke a unique
Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Coxworthie, Coxworthy, Cockworthy, Cocksworthy, Cooksworthy, Cooksworthie, Cockworthie, Cookworth, Coxsworth and many more.
Early Notables of the Cocksword family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Cocksword Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Cocksword family to the New World and Oceana
Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Cocksword were John and Jane Cookworthy who landed in New York state in 1822 with seven children. In Newfoundland the family settled in Grand Bank and later moved to St. John's..