Cotgrave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Cotgrave

Cotgrave is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Cotgrave family lived in Malpas, Cheshire, where they were Lords of the Manor of Cotgrave.

Early Origins of the Cotgrave family

Early History of the Cotgrave family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cotgrave research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1418, 1589, 1634, 1655 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Cotgrave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cotgrave Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Cotgrave, Cottgrove, Cotgrove, Cottgrave, Cotgreve, Cottgreve, Cotgrieve, Cottgrieve, Cotgreave, Cottgreave, Cotgreaves, Cottgreaves, Cotgrieves and many more.

Early Notables of the Cotgrave family

• John Cotgrave (fl. 1655), member of the Cheshire family of Cotgreve, was the author of ‘The English Treasury of Literature and Language collected out of the most and best of our English Dramatick Poem...
• Randle Cotgrave (d. 1634?), was an English lexicographer, may possibly be Randal, son of William Cotgreve of Christleton in Cheshire, who is mentioned in the pedigree of the Cotgreve family. 1

Migration of the Cotgrave family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cotgrave or a variant listed above: Richard Cottgreaves who landed in North America in 1700.