Haycox

This interesting and unusual surname is of early medieval English origin, and derives from a medieval given name "Hay", with the Middle English hypocoristic suffix "cock", used as a term of affection, denoting the pertness of lusty and swaggering youth. The personal name "Hay", is an example of the sizeable group of early European names that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. The nicknames were given in the irst instance with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as physical attributes or peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, including supposed resemblance to an animal's or bird's appearance or disposition, or to habits of dress and occupation. The derivation in this instance is from the Olde English pre 7th Century "heah", high, tall. The surname is first recorded in the late 13th Century (see below) and can also be found as Haycock, Haycocks and Heycock. Ralph Haycok is noted in the Fine Court Rolls of Essex (1311). On April 3rd 1739, Thomas Haycox married Mary Rust at St. Katherine by the Tower, London, and Catherine Haycox married Richard Broad on August 7th 1748 at St. George's, Mayfair, Westminster, London. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is an erminois shield with a blue elephant statant, on a blue chief the sun in splendour between two beehives proper, the Crest being a heraldic erminois antelope sejant, collared red, the dexter foot resting on a gold beehive. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Heykok, which was dated 1296, in the "Pipe Rolls of Sussex", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. 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.