The name Corkett is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Caldecot, which was the name of parishes found in Peterborough and Worcestershire. The name was originally derived from the Old English word ceald-cote and literally meant the dweller at the cold-huts. [1]
The surname Corkett was first found in various places named Caldecote or Caldecott throughout Britain including Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire.
No fewer than five of them are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Caldecote, Cambridgeshire; Caldecota, Hertfordshire; Caldecote, Warwickshire; Caldecote, Leicestershire; and Caldecote, Northamptonshire. Williamscott or Willscott in Oxfordshire was home to the family too.
"Walter Calcott, in 1575, endowed a free school here with £13 per annum payable out of his manor of Williamscott, for 40 boys chosen by lot from the villages around." [2] The hamlet was also made famous as the site that Charles I. slept a night or two prior to the battle of Cropredy-Bridge.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corkett research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1304, 1320, 1766, 1782, 1783, 1785, 1782, 1779, 1844, 1837, 1843 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Corkett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Corkett were recorded, including Caldecot, Caldecott, Caldecotte and others.
Notables of the family at this time include John Wall Calcott, born November 20, 1766, at Kensington, where his father carried on the business of a bricklayer and builder. Whilst a school-boy he had frequent opportunities of examining the organ at Kensington church, and having funned an acquaintance with the organist became a constant visitor to the organ-loft on Sundays. There he acquired his knowledge of the rudiments of music. His intention was to follow the profession of surgery, but the sight of a severe operation so seriously affected his nerves that he abandoned it and turned his attention to music...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Corkett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Corkett family emigrate to North America: