Howcroft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Howcroft family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Howcroft comes from when the family lived in the area of Holcroft in Lancashire. 1 2

Early Origins of the Howcroft family

The surname Howcroft 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 Howcroft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howcroft 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 Howcroft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howcroft Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Howcroft has appeared include Holcroft, Holcrofte, Howcroft, Hocroft and others.

Early Notables of the Howcroft 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 of Canterbury, was his 'chamber-fellow' at Clare Hall, Cambridge, about 1650. Holcroft eventually formed a church on congregational principles, and, after being ejected in 1662 from Bassingbourne, became a bitter opponent of Episcopalianism." 5John 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...
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Howcroft Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howcroft migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Howcroft Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Howcroft, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Howcroft 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:

Howcroft Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Howcroft, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Howcroft (post 1700) +

Robert Howcroft (b. 1952), American professional football player
Albert Howcroft (1882-1955), English cricketer
Sammy Howcroft (b. 1962), professional Australian rules footballer
Russel Howcroft, Australian business man and media personality

Historic Events for the Howcroft family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Frank Howcroft (d. 1945), British Ordinary Telegraphist aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8

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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html