English Place-name Society

Survey of English Place-Names

A county-by-county guide to the linguistic origins of England’s place-names – a project of the English Place-Name Society, founded 1923.

Cocksford

Early-attested site in the Parish of Lead

Historical Forms

  • Kokeford 12 YDi 1240 FF
  • Cokford l.13 Heal29d
  • Cockesfort 1170–7 YCh1569
  • Cockesford(e) 1231,1323 Cl 1604 FF
  • Cockysforthe 1569 FF
  • Cock(e)sworth 1557 TestLds
  • Kokesford(e), Cokesford(e) 13 YDi 1279–81 QW 1331 Ch
  • Cokesforth(e) 1280,1286,1289 YI 1501 Ipm
  • Cokesfyrd 1361 YDx
  • Cokysford 1379 PT
  • Cokysforth 1501 Ipm
  • Cokkesforth 1361 YDx 1413 YI
  • Cokkesford 1415 YI
  • Cokkesworthe 1539 WillY

Etymology

The site of Cocksford Hall is 1″ O.S. 97–471399 near Cock Beck and there is a small ford a little south of it, but the main ford is further north where the Old London Road crosses the stream.Some of the forms may, however, refer to Cock Bridge (78infra ), where the Roman road to Tadcaster crosses Cock Beck; there is no bridge at Cocksford itself. The interpretation of this name depends upon that of Cock Beck (v. RNs.); if the latter is an old r.n., Cocksford means 'ford across the Cock' (v. -es 2 , ford ), but if the r.n. is an early back-formation from Cocksford or is an original compound name (Cock Beck or the like), then Cocksford is probably from an OE  pers.n. Cocc , as perhaps also in Coxford Nf, Coxhoe Du 56, Coxleigh D 68 (OE  cocc2 'cock', recorded as a byname, cf. Tengvik 361), or less probably from OE  cocc2 itself; Cock Beck, if an original compound, shares the same first el. 'Cocc's ford', v. ford .

Places in the same Parish