Fleckness

Recorded in several spelling forms including: Flackno, Flacknell, Flecknoe, Fleckness, Flecknall, and others, this is an English locational surname. It originates from the little village of Flecknoe, in the county of Warwickshire. Like the village of Fleckney in Leicestershire, there appears to be a Norse-Viking element in the placename, and hence the later surname. This is the word 'fleca' meaning a hurdle or perhaps fence, as used for penning animals, plus the Olde English pre 7th century word 'halh', meaning a place or even an island. This is not an island surrounded by water, but a fenced farm which separated the area from the surrounding wilderness or common lands. Before the 15th century much of the country consisted of common lands over which animals roamed at will, possibly giood for the animals, but certainly bad for farming practice and food production. Unfortunately it is not possible to ascribe definate meanings to place names created over a thousand years ago. The village is first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 and then in the spelling of 'Flechnoe'. In retaining this (near) spelling over all these centuries it is almost unique. Early examples of the surname recordings taken from surviving early church registers include: James Flacknell, christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on July 11th 1595, and Mary Flecknell who married Walter Knott at Str Lukes, Finsbury, on June 17th 1788.