The saga of the name Colepepper follows a line reaching back through history to the days of the
Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It was a name for someone who worked as a spicer. The name is derived from two Old English elements,
cul and
pepper. It meant "pepper gatherer." As spices were rare and expensive in the medieval period, this would have been a valued occupation.
Early Origins of the Colepepper family
The surname Colepepper was first found in
Kent where the family descend from Culpepers of Bayhall, Pembury, Kent.
Early History of the Colepepper family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colepepper research.
Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1321, 1644, 1725, 1588, 1651, 1660, 1601, 1663, 1600, 1660, 1616, 1654, 1635, 1689, 1677, 1683, 1656, 1723, 1651, 1670, 1632, 1700, 1668 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Colepepper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Colepepper Spelling Variations
Before the last few
hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason,
spelling variations are commonly found in early
Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Colepepper were recorded, including Colepeper, Colpepper, Culpeper, Culpepper, Colepepper, Colpeper, Collpeper and many more.
Early Notables of the Colepepper family (pre 1700)
Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Geoffrey Colepeper
High Sheriff of Kent; Sir William Culpeper, (1588-1651) 1st
Baronet of Culpeper of Preston Hall, Kent; Sir Richard Culpeper, 2nd
Baronet of Preston Hall (d 1660); Sir Cheney Culpeper(1601-1663), an English landowner; John Colepeper of Bedgebery (ca.1600-1660), 1st
Baron Culpeper...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colepepper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Colepepper family to the New World and Oceana
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Colepepper family emigrate to North America: Henry Culpeper who settled in Virginia in 1663; Jonathan Culpeper settled in Virginia in 1646; William Culpepper settled in New
England in 1634; Margaret Culpepper settled in Virginia in 1751..
Contemporary Notables of the name Colepepper (post 1700)
- John Colepepper (1600-1660), English royalist