Sharrocks

Recorded in the spellings of Sharrock, the residential Sharrocks, the dialectals Shorrock, Sherrock, Sharach, Sherik, and over the centuries many other forms, this is an English locational surname. It originates from the village of Shorrock Green, in the county of Lancashire, and has spread widely, although as Sharrock and Sharrocks its greatest popularity remains in its homeland. The village name derivation is apparently from a mix of 9th century Norse - Viking 'sker', and the later Norman-French 'roche' to givea meaning of 'boundary rock' or similar, however this is not proven and the various dictionaries of English Place Names are silent in their opinions. The name is well recorded in the south of England with variant forms being recorded from the 16th century. Examples of these include Em Sharrocke who married Richard Halle at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on February 12th 1600, Lawrence Sharrucke who was christened at St James Clerkenwell, on July 28th 1606, and Anne Sherrock, the daughter of Robert Sherrock, who was christened at St Benets, Pauls Wharf, London, on January 8th 1640. Amongst the earliest American settlers, was Joseph Sharrick being recorded in Virginia in July 1635. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard de Shorrok which was dated 1332, in the county pipe rolls of Lancashire during the reign of King Edward III, known as 'The Father of the Navy' 1327 - 1357. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.