Holcroft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Holcroft name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Holcroft was originally derived from a family having lived in the area of Holcroft in Lancashire. 1 2

Early Origins of the Holcroft family

The surname Holcroft was first found in Lancashire where one of the first record of the name was Robert de Holecroft, who was listed in the Assize Rolls in 1246. A few years later, John Holecroft was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 3

"Lytham [a parish in Lancashire] is mentioned in the Domesday Survey from 1086 under the name of Lidun. It early belonged, by gift of Richard Fitz-Roger, to the monks of Durham, and after the Reformation was granted to Sir Thomas Holcroft, whose descendant, Sir John, is said to have sold the property in 1606 to Sir Cuthbert Clifton, ancestor of the present lord of the manor." 4

Early History of the Holcroft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holcroft research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1425, 1629, 1640, 1644, 1648, 1650, 1656, 1662, 1692, 1693, 1745 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Holcroft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holcroft Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Holcroft include Holcroft, Holcrofte, Howcroft, Hocroft and others.

Early Notables of the Holcroft family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir Henry Holcroft, from West Ham in Essex and his son, Francis Holcroft (c.1629-1693), an English Puritan divine. "He is said to have been born at West Ham in Essex. Tillotson, afterwards archbishop...
John Holcroft (died 1656), was an English politician, sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1648, fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War; and Thomas Holcroft...

Holcroft migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Holcroft Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Holcroft, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 5

Holcroft Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Holcroft, who landed in Virginia in 1702 5

Holcroft Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Holcroft, who settled in Philadelphia in 1828
Thomas Holcroft, who settled in Philadelphia in 1835
J. Holcroft, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
Frances Holcroft, aged 9, who landed in New York, NY in 1851 5

Holcroft migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Holcroft Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ann Holcroft, (b. 1837), aged 33, English settler, from Lancashire travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 6
Mr. William Holcroft, (b. 1837), aged 33, English millwright, from Lancashire travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 6
Miss Anne Holcroft, (b. 1864), aged 6, English settler, from Lancashire travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 6
Mr. Henry Holcroft, (b. 1867), aged 3, English settler, from Lancashire travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 6
Mr. W. Holcroft, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Norfolk" arriving in Wellington, North Island, New Zealand on 18th June 1880 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Holcroft (post 1700) +

Sir Reginald Holcroft, of Shrewsbury

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html