The Hancock Family

The Hancock/Hancox family were established at Oxhill in the early 17^th Century. The first documented baptism there is for Lydia Hancox, on the 18^th November 1677. Her father was John Hancox. We can find no record of his baptism at Oxhill so he is mostly likely from a nearby village. Lydia had a brother, John, baptised at Oxhill on the 13^th February 1684. John married Anne Gibbes, of Shenington, in 1707 and that is where they went to live. It is Lydia’s line that continues at Oxhill. We believe she married William Savage in 1704 but we have yet to discover a record of the marriage. William applied for, and was granted, a licence to marry Lydia at Great Wolford in July 1704 but the marriage is not recorded in the Parish Register there. This would seem to end the Hancock/Hancox line at Oxhill as William and Lydia went on to have two children baptised at Oxhill as Elizabeth and William Savage in 1708 and 1711 respectively. However, Lydia gave birth to one illegitimate child before her marriage to William. He was baptised as Joseph Hancox at Oxhill on the 13^th December 1698. (It is from Joseph that my wife’s paternal line descends.)

There are some earlier records in the Oxhill Parish Registers:

“Henerye Hancockes and Anne Hinde were married the xxxi of January Anno Domini 1590”

“Humfrey Hickcox & Jone Bailes were married ye 2 November 1613”

In neither case are there any baptisms recorded for these four people at Oxhill so it is unlikely they were born there.

Lydia’s [Hancox] grandchildren seem to have migrated to Tysoe where the family flourished for many generations. In the case of my wife’s family, they eventually migrated further north to Fillongley.

Hancock, Hancocks, Hancox and other derivatives of the name are found living in and around the area at Brailes, Butlers Marston, Combroke, Ettington, Kineton, Oxhill, Pillerton Hersey, Pillerton Priors, Shenington, Stratford Upon Avon, Tredington, Tysoe and Wellesboune. Although, on the whole, they are everyday folk, one Isabella Hancox (of Tredington) did marry Bartholomew Hathaway, the brother of Shakespeare’s wife Ann.

Peter Martin

Please feel free to contact me at: peterj.martin @ lineone.net

If you interested in receiving a newsletter about the “Hancocks of South Warwickshire”
please contact Roger Hancock at roger @ silverdigital.com

Roger Hancock writes to the Oxhill News - March 2014 Edition

I am putting together a regular newsletter, to be sent out by email around every 2 or 3 months with current research including information on wills, and transcripts, interesting stories, queries even blind allies and anything else that might interest Hancock researchers.

I would suggest that the newsletter will be of interest to those with research interests in Hancock, Hancocks, Hancox and other derivatives of the name originating in and around around the villages of Brailes,  Butler Marston Combroke, Ettington, Kineton, Oxhill, Pillerton Hersey, Pillerton Priors, Wellesboune including Walton in South Warwickshire and other areas such as Birmingham, Stratford upon Avon, Tredington now in Worcestershire and villages over the border into Oxfordshire. Recent Hancock research by myself and others has included:

1. Looking at the 16^th and 17^th century wills for Hancocks at Pillerton, Brailles and Tredington.

2. Isabella Hancox of Tredington and the Hancocks at Pillerton and her connection to the Hathaway family. She married Bartholomew brother of  Ann Hathaway Shakespeare’s wife.

3. The early origins of the Hancocks of Oxhill.

4. Early maps of the area.

5. The Hancocks of North West Oxfordshire near Oxhill & Brailes.

6. Newspaper cuttings.

If any readers wish to receive a copy of this newsletter and / or contribute please let me know.  I would look to producing the first newsletter by the end of March. It would be sent by email, free of charge. It will probably go out to between 15 to 20 interested parties. If you or any one researching the Hancocks of Oxhill wish to contact me regarding their Hancock family tree that would also be fine.

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Send mail to historian@oxhill.org.uk with questions or comments about this web site.

Last modified: March 14, 2014