Connock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornwall in southwestern England provides the original birthplace of the surname Connock. Nickname surnames were rare among the Cornish, they did occasionally adopt names that reflected the physical characteristics or other attributes of the original bearer of the name. The name Connock is a nickname type of surname for a rich and successful person. having derived from the Cornish word connock, of the same meaning.

Early Origins of the Connock family

The surname Connock was first found in Cornwall where "the manor of Hagland, [in the parish of Liskeard] which is situated almost wholly within the precincts of the borough, and which is said to have belonged to a chantry chapel at Launceston, was for many generations the property of the Connocks. It is now vested in Mrs. Arminel Inch and her sister, as devisees of the late Mr. Connock of Treworgy." 1

Early History of the Connock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connock research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1554, 1571, 1593, 1614, 1620, 1631, 1660 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Connock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connock 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 Conock, Conick, Connick, Connock and others.

Early Notables of the Connock family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Connock, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1554 and 1571
John Connock (1631-ca.1675), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660

Connock migration to the United States +

Some of the first North American settlers with Connock name or one of its variants:

Connock Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Connock, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1733 2

Connock migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Connock Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Connock, (b. 1826), aged 23, Cornish currier from Penzance, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Thetis" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 15th February 1849 3
Mrs. Elizabeth Connock, (b. 1828), aged 21, Cornish settler from Penzance, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Thetis" arriving in Port Phillip, New South Wales, Australia on 15th February 1849 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Connock (post 1700) +

Jim Connock (1925-1991), English film editor, active in the 1950s and 1960s
Alex Connock, British media executive and academic

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf