Eatock

This unusual and interesting surname, with variant spellings Eatuck, Etock, Etuck and Eattok is of English locational origin from one of the estimated seven to ten thousand villages and hamlets that have now disappeared. The prime causes of these "disappearances" was the enforced "clearing" and dispersal of the former inhabitants to make way for sheep pastures at the height of the wool trade in the 14th Century. Natural causes such as the Black Death of 1348, also contributed to the lost village phenomenon. The original place may have been located in Lancashire as a lot of church register recordings of the name are found there. The name itself is composed of the Old English "East", meaning east of and "stoc" (Old English) which could mean monastery, but in this case more likely means, "cattle-farm". Hence we get a cattle-farm on the east side of a settlement. On January 2nd 1733, at St. Andrews, Holborn, London, John son of Thomas and Ann Eateck was christened. Esther, daughter of John Eatock, was christened at Westhoughton, Lancashire on January 13th 1739. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ann Etocke, daughter of Ricardi, was christened, which was dated February 7th, 1643, in the "Baptismal Records at Church, Lancashire", during the reign of King Charles 1, known as "The Martyr", 1625 - 1649. 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.