Baroc

Recorded in several spellings including: Baroc, Baroche, Baroucke, Barrack, Bazoche, and Bazoge, this is a surname of early French origins. In its various forms it is found elsewhere in Europe, including England. However spelt it is relatively rare, and is locational from a place in Northern France called 'Baroche'. This name itself is or rather was, a development of the original Roman (Latin) 'basilica', a word used to describe a church or some other prominent building, on the outskirts of a village, although it now refers to the place itself. French register recordings are much later than in most other parts of Europe. This is because the majority were destroyed after the famous or infamous, Revolution of 1792, when the church itself, and all religion, was banned for several years. Registers and similar listings of inhabitants, were regarded by the Revolutionaries as symbols of the hated monarchy and in particular the secret police, so were destroyed when found. This helps to explain why this name whilst recorded in France has much earlier examples in England. In addition earlier many prominent Huguenots fled France during the lunatic reign of King Louis X1V, 1643 - 1715. He was a religious bigot who hated all protestants. Most came to England, and a good number to what is now Northern Ireland. Examples of the surname recordings include: George Baroucke, who married Mercie Baynam at St Boltolphs church, Bishopgate, city of London, on August 1st 1604, and Robert Barrack, who married Margaret Simon at St. James Clerkenwell, on July 27th 1651. Later examples are those of Marguerite Baroche, christened at Gelacourt, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France, on May 4th 1731, Jacques Baroc, a witness at Glasshouse Street French Huguenot church, in the city of London, on July 7th 1741, and Jean Bazoche, who married Barbe Humbert, at Lemmes, in the department of Meuse, France, on January 24th 1758.