Godrock History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Godrock is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Godrock family once lived in the region of Goodrich or Gotheridge in the county of Hereford. The surname Godrock may also derive from the patronymic name the son of Godrich which was composed of the elements God which referred to someone good and Ric which meant power. The surname may also have derived from the Old English cud, meaning "famous," with the aforementioned "ric." [1]

In ancient times, the name was also a personal name as in Godric, the abbot of Winchcombe and Godric, the sheriff of Berkshire. Both were listed as freemen shortly after the Norman Conquest. [2]

Godric (1065?-1170), the founder of Finchale, "was born ‘in villula Hanapol,’ or, according to another account, at Walpole in Norfolk. His father's name was Ailward, his mother's Ædwin; and Godric, their first-born son, was called after his godfather. After a boyhood spent at home, Godric began to peddle small wares in the neighbouring shires. Later, as his gains increased, he took to frequenting castles and the town and city markets. A narrow escape from drowning while he was attempting to capture a stranded ‘dolphin’ or porpoise near the mouth of the Welland (c. 1082) seems to have given a serious turn to his thoughts." [3]

Early Origins of the Godrock family

The surname Godrock was first found in various locations throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Walter Goderiche in Bedfordshire; William Godriche in Oxfordshire; Stephen Godrich in Suffolk; and Ambrosius filius Godrige in Cambridgeshire. [4]

Other early record include Gaufridus filius Godrici who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Berkshire in 1207; Ralph Godric' who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire in 1199; Hugo Godriche in Suffolk in 1221; John Godryk listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1313; James Goodrich in Colchester in 1341; William Godright in 1363; Albreda Goderik in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379; and Simon Goderich in 1388. [5]

Further to the north in Scotland, "Dougal fiz Gothrik of the county of Dunfres who rendered homage in 1296 is probably Dougal Gotherykessone of the county of Wyggetone, and Dugall, son of Gotrich, juror on an inquest at Berwick in the same year." [2]

Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (1841-1888), the American industrialist in the rubber industry and founder of B.F. Goodrich Company claimed descent from Ensign William Goodrich (1621-1676), from Bury Saint Edmunds, Suffolk who emigrated to America. The family had along history at Bury Saint Edmunds.

Early History of the Godrock family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Godrock research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1221, 1279, 1341, 1554, 1562, 1621, 1642, 1659, 1666, 1673, 1682 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Godrock History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Godrock Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Godrock family name include Goodrich, Gooderidge, Goodrick, Goodricke, Goodridge, Goderich, Godriche, Godric, Godrige, Goderidge, Goodreed, Goodreid, Gutteridge, Guteridge, Guttridge, Gutridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Godrock family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Henry Goodrich of Ribstone Hall, Envoy Extraordinary to the King of Spain in 1682; Francis Goodricke (1621-1673), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1673; and Rev. Charles Goodrich, the rector of Bittering Parva, county Norfolk.Sir Henry Goodricke (1642-1705), was an English diplomatist, eldest son of Sir John Goodricke (created Baronet by...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Godrock Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Godrock family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Godrock surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Goodrich, who settled in New England in 1630; Thomas Goodrich, who settled in Virginia in 1653; Joe Goodridge, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Henry Gutteridge, who settled in Maryland in 1673.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)