Show ContentsWolcot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Wolcot family name to the British Isles. They lived in Shropshire, at the village of Walcot. a parish, in the union of Bath, partly within the city of Bath, and partly in the hundred of Bath-Forum, E. division of Somerset. 1 There are three places named Walcott in Britain, specifically in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Worcestershire.

Early Origins of the Wolcot family

The surname Wolcot was first found in Shropshire, at Walcot, a small village which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 and literally means "cottage(s) of the Britons." 2 "The name is derived from Walcot in the parish of Lydbury, which was held under the Bishop of Hereford by Roger de Walcot in 1255. He was the ancestor of the present family." 3

Early History of the Wolcot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolcot research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1255, 1402, 1586, 1625, 1629, 1631, 1650 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Wolcot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolcot Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Walcot, Walcoke, Wallcott, Wallcot, Walcott and others.

Early Notables of the Wolcot family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roger Walcot of Lydbury; Humphrey Walcot (1586-1650); and his son, Sir Thomas Walcot SL (1629-1685), a British judge and politician. He was "the scion of an ancient Shropshire family, was the second son of Humphrey Walcot (1586-1650), who...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wolcot Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wolcot family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wolcot or a variant listed above: Capt. Jonathon Walcott settled in Boston, Mass in 1645; his descendent was Arthur Stuart Walcott of New York; James Walcott settled in Pennsylvania in 1825.


Contemporary Notables of the name Wolcot (post 1700) +

  • John Wolcot (1738-1819), English satirist who used the pseudonym Peter Pindar, son of Alexander Wolcot, a country surgeon and son of a surgeon 4


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  4. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 13 Feb. 2019


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