Horker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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• England

Early Origins of the Horker family

Early History of the Horker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horker research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1721 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Horker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horker Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Horker include Hawker, Hawkar, Hawkir and others.

Early Notables of the Horker family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Hawker (d. 1723), was an English "portrait-painter, according to Vertue, came to live in Sir Peter Lely's house after Lely's death, in the hope of benefiting by the famous associations of the house. This hope was not realised. He is known by a full-length portrait of the Duke of Grafton...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horker Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Horker family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Horker were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Hawker arrived in the Leeward Islands in 1654; Timothy Hawker arrived in Barbados in 1685.