EnglandThe ancestors of the bearers of the Holker family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Holker, in Cumberland, now called Cumbria. The place-name Holker is made up of two Old Scandinavian elements. The first is hol, which meant hollow or valley. The second is kjarr, the word for marsh. The place-name as a whole meant "marsh in the valley." [1]
The surname Holker was first found in Lancashire, at Upper Holker or Lower Holker. Collectively, these townships date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were known as Holecher. [2]
Holker Hall, a privately owned country house located near the village of Cartmel, Cumbria, was built in the 16th century and was originally the property of the Preston family which was later passed on to the Lowthers and finally to the Cavendish family.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holker research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1524, 1601, 1553, 1600, 1593, 1777, 1719, 1786, 1740, 1745, 1746, 1746, 1745, 1822, 1769, 1777, 1800, 1822, 1770 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Holker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Holker include Holker, Hoker, Holk and others.
Distinguished members of the family include John Holker (1719-1786), Jacobite, son of John Holker of Stretford, Manchester, by Alice, daughter of John Morris. "The founder of the family, Alexander Holker, is said to have been presented by James I with lands at Monton, Eccles. John's father, a yeoman, died shortly after his son's birth, and his widow about 1740. Young Holker sold his patrimony in order to erect a cotton-mill, and spent two years at Manchester to acquire the necessary knowledge. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Hilton or Hulton, a Manchester tradesman. Brought up an ardent catholic and Jacobite, Holker...
Another 202 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Holker migration to the United States +Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Holker or a variant listed above:
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