Show ContentsHockshaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hockshaw

What does the name Hockshaw mean?

The name Hockshaw is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the settlement of Hawkshaw in the county of Lancashire. The surname Hockshaw belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hockshaw family

The surname Hockshaw was first found in Lancashire at Hawkshaw, a village, now in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester. Hawkshaw was also a village in Peebleshire but was destroyed when the Fruid Reservoir was constructed in 1963.

Adam de Haukesheye was the first record of the family as listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1285. 1

Early History of the Hockshaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hockshaw research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1285, 1375, 1687, 1691, 1693, 1707, 1718 and 1738 are included under the topic Early Hockshaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hockshaw Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Hockshaw are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Hockshaw include: Hawkshaw, Hawkeshaw, Hawkshore, Hoxie and others.

Early Notables of the Hockshaw family

Benjamin Hawkshaw (d. 1738), a divine, born in Dublin, and entered Trinity College in 1687. He left Ireland upon the Revolution, and entered St. John's College, Cambridge; graduated B.A. there in 1691, and subsequently returned to Dublin, where...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hockshaw Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hockshaw family to Ireland

Some of the Hockshaw family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hockshaw family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Hockshaw or a variant listed above: George Hawkshaw and his son Thomas, who settled in Virginia in 1698; David Hoxie, who came to San Francisco in 1852; and Alexander Hawkshaw, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1855..



The Hockshaw Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: My Lure Is Truth


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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