Cockburn ( , ) is a Scottish surname that originated in the
Borders
A border is a geographical boundary.
Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film
* ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...
region of the
Scottish Lowlands
The Lowlands ( sco, Lallans or ; gd, a' Ghalldachd, , place of the foreigners, ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Lowlands and the Highlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowl ...
. In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
most branches of the same family have adopted the simplified spelling '
Coburn'; other branches have altered the name slightly to '
Cogburn'. The French branch of the family uses the spelling 'de Cockborne', with the middle "ck" being pronounced.
Family origins
The Cockburn surname had appeared by the early 13th century, when it was employed to identify individuals from a district or location called Cockburn (modern spelling). The name Cockburn has been viewed as originating from the juxtaposition of 'Cock', derived from the Old English word 'cocc' meaning '
moor-cock', 'wild bird' or 'hill', with 'burn' derived from the old word 'burna' meaning 'brook' or 'stream'. There are several possible candidates for this geographical name including: a former 'Cokoueburn' district in early medieval
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
; a place called 'Calkesburne' that was mentioned in a charter from 1162 to 1190 that awarded the land of Hermanston in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
; the hill called
Cockburn Law Cockburn may refer to:
People
*Cockburn (surname), a surname of Scottish origin
Places Australia
*City of Cockburn, Local Government Area of Western Australia, named after Admiral Sir George Cockburn
*Electoral district of Cockburn, seat in th ...
, north of present-day
Duns
Duns may refer to:
* Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland
** Duns railway station
** Duns F.C., a football club
** Duns RFC, a rugby football club
** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372
* Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...
in
Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...
, which was fortified in
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
times; and the town of
Cockburnspath
Cockburnspath ( ; sco, Co’path) is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies near the North Sea coast between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. It is at the eastern extremity of the Southern Upland Way a long-distance footpa ...
, originally known as 'Kolbrand's Path', on the eastern coast of Scotland. There are several Cockburn placenames that are located near Cockburn Law along
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed. In common with the headwaters of the Biel Water it rises on the low hillside ...
including Cockburn farm, Cockburn Mill, and the now ruined farm Cockburn East. A
Cockburn Tower
Cockburn Tower was a small fortified house in Berwickshire, Scotland. Now little more than the outline of a foundation, it occupied a site on the southern slope of Cockburn Law overlooking the Whiteadder Water.Laurence H. Cleat, "Castles of th ...
reportedly existed in this same general area. It is unclear, however, whether this region in Berwickshire is in fact the true origin of the family name.
![An information plaque at Cockburn's Tomb - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/An_information_plaque_at_Cockburn%27s_Tomb_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1257004.jpg)
In perhaps the first recorded mention of a Cockburn, a Petro de Cokburne witnessed a charter in the "Register of the
House of Soltre" that described a gift of arable land in
Lempitlaw
Lempitlaw is a hamlet, former parish and former feudal barony in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, as well as the historic county of Roxburghshire.
History
The parish was joined with Sprouston in the 16th century. The former parish form ...
, just east of
Kelso in Roxburghshire in about 1190–1220, during the reign of
King William "the Lion" (1165–1214). However, the dating of this document has been recently revised to 1251–1274. A Robert de Cockburn is mentioned as a ‘serviens’ (servant or sergeant) in a charter, dating from 1232 to 1242, in which land is granted to the Chapel of St. Nicholas, next to a bridge over the River Spey in Moray. The knight Sir Roberto de Cokeburn (perhaps the same Robert) is mentioned in a charter that was prepared in
Chirnside
Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire, Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and east of Duns.
Church
The parish church at Chirnside dates from the 12th century. It was substantially rebuilt in 1878 and extensively restored and a ...
on 4 November 1261 during the reign of
Patrick III, Earl of Dunbar
Patrick III, 7th Earl of Dunbar ( 121324 August 1289) was lord of the feudal barony of Dunbar and its castle, which dominated East Lothian, and the most important military personage in the Scottish Borders.
Background
Said to be aged 35 in 1248,R ...
(1248–1270). Sir Roberto de Cokeburne is mentioned in another charter (dated to 1269–1289) as being the constable of the
royal burgh
A royal burgh () was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished by law in 1975, the term is still used by many former royal burghs.
Most royal burghs were either created by ...
of
Roxburgh
Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...
. A Petro de Kokeburne is mentioned on a document, dated from 15 May 1285, that records the sale of land to
Kelso Abbey
Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Tweed ...
, near Roxburgh. In the mid 13th century, the landowner Johannes de Kocburn (John de Cockburn) granted land near his property at
Collessie
Collessie is a village and parish of Fife, Scotland. The village is set on a small hillock centred on a historic church. Due to rerouting of roads, it now lies north of the A91. Though a railway embankment was constructed through the middle o ...
in
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
to
Lindores Abbey
Lindores Abbey was a Tironensian abbey on the outskirts of Newburgh, Fife, Newburgh in Fife, Scotland. Now a reduced ruin, it lies on the southern banks of the River Tay, about north of the village of Lindores and is a scheduled ancient monumen ...
. In the summer of 1296, along with the bulk of the Scottish nobility and senior clergy, Pieres de Cokeburn and Thomas de Cokeburn 'del counte de Rokesburgh' signed the
Ragman Roll
Ragman Rolls are the collection of instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland subscribed allegiance to King Edward I of England, during the time between the Conference of Norham in May 1291 and the final award in favour of Balliol ...
pledging their allegiance to
King Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
. However, it appears that at least one other Cockburn landowner incurred the disfavor of
Longshanks at about this time. In a charter dated March 20, 1312,
King Edward II
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to th ...
restored to Nigel de Cockburn his former land in
Megget
Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles west of Selkirk.
...
(likely the same land, along the
Megget Water
Megget Water is a river in the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The Water rises at Broad Law (2,760 ft), passes through Megget Reservoir and empties into St Mary's Loch. Places in the vicinity inclu ...
now in
Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk ( gd, Siorrachd Shalcraig) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. ...
, that later became known as Henderland). This land had been awarded to another man by the previous English king because Nigel had been declared a rebel. Possibly Nigel de Cockburn had chosen to avoid signing the Ragman Roll back in 1296. Perhaps Edward II was attempting to secure new Scottish allies prior to his next invasion of Scotland because in the same charter the king restored land to eleven other former Scottish rebels.
Historically there have been many alternative spellings of the family name. Early medieval spellings included 'Cokburne', 'Cokeburne', 'Kokeburne' and other variations. In Scotland the spelling of the family name had stabilized to 'Cockburn' by the late 17th century, and this is the spelling most commonly used today in
British Commonwealth
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
countries. In the United States, the simplified spelling 'Coburn' is more widely used than 'Cockburn'. In
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the 'Cockbain' family emerged from Scottish Cockburn ancestors. A branch of the family was established in France in the 16th century by mercenary soldiers under the terms of the
Auld Alliance
The Auld Alliance ( Scots for "Old Alliance"; ; ) is an alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England. The Scots word ''auld'', meaning ''old'', has become a partly affectionate term for the long-lasting a ...
. In 1494, a Thomas Cocquebourne was serving as an archer in the
Garde Écossaise
The Scottish Guards () was a bodyguard unit founded in 1418 by the Valois Charles VII of France, to be personal bodyguards to the French monarchy. They were assimilated into the ''Maison du Roi'' and later formed the first company of the '' Gar ...
, which was the personal bodyguard of the King of France. Many more Cockburn mercenaries served the Kings of France in this elite unit over the next century. Cockburn descendants in France today use the family name 'de Cockborne'. Another branch of the family used the name ''Cokborgne'' and formed part of the nobility of
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
. The early 17th century mercenary leader
Samuel Cockburn used the spelling 'Cobron' while working for the King of Sweden. In the late 17th century, a Cockburn merchant established a German branch of the family, which adopted the surname 'Kabrun' in the
Hanseatic
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=German language, Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Norther ...
port of
Danzig. A great-grandson of this Scottish-German Kabrun was the wealthy merchant and renowned book collector, art collector and philanthropist
Jacob Kabrun Jr. (1759–1814).
The Cockburn name was well known in the English possessions of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
from the 17th century onwards. By the early 18th century, Cockburns were living in the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
,
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
and
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
.
Cockburn Town
Cockburn Town ( ) is the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, spreading across most of Grand Turk Island. It was founded in 1681 by salt collectors.
Geography
Cockburn Town is located on the largest island in the Turks Islands archipelago, ...
, the capital of the
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
, was founded in 1681 by salt traders from the Bahamas. Dr. James Cockburn (b. c1659 in Langton, Scotland – d. 1718 in Jamaica), Dr. Thomas Cockburn (1700-c1769) and Dr. James Cockburn (c1770-1798) were three generations of medical doctors from the same Cockburn family in Jamaica. The first doctor in this line was the third son of
Sir Archibald Cockburn, 2nd Baronet of Langton.
Admiral Sir George Cockburn led successful naval operations against the French and Spanish in the Caribbean during the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
.
Sir Francis Cockburn was a colonial administrator in both the
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British Crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony, renamed Belize in June 1973, (1830–37) and the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
(1837-4). Cockburn Town, the administrative center of
San Salvador Island
San Salvador Island (known as Watling's Island from the 1680s until 1925) is an island and district of The Bahamas. It is widely believed that during Christopher Columbus's first expedition to the New World, this island was the first land he s ...
in the Bahamas, was named after Sir Francis. Some Scottish Cockburn men settled in the area and married Caribbean women, and their descendants live today in
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
and elsewhere in the Caribbean and North America.
The rise and fall of the Cockburn landowners
In 13th-century written charters, several Cockburns appear as landowners in Roxburghshire and Fifeshire. The land around
Cockburn Law Cockburn may refer to:
People
*Cockburn (surname), a surname of Scottish origin
Places Australia
*City of Cockburn, Local Government Area of Western Australia, named after Admiral Sir George Cockburn
*Electoral district of Cockburn, seat in th ...
in
Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...
was possibly the location of the residence of the 13th-century Pieres de Cokeburn; however, the nearby land may have been held by Cockburns as vassals of a more powerful land-owning family, such as the Dunbars.
Cockburn Tower
Cockburn Tower was a small fortified house in Berwickshire, Scotland. Now little more than the outline of a foundation, it occupied a site on the southern slope of Cockburn Law overlooking the Whiteadder Water.Laurence H. Cleat, "Castles of th ...
, a small fortified house (now a ruin) that occupied a site on the southern slope Cockburn Law overlooking the
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed. In common with the headwaters of the Biel Water it rises on the low hillside ...
, was the seat of the Cockburns of that Ilk from about 1527 to 1696. The surrounding land was purchased in about 1527 by William Cockburn from
Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford
Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford (1423–1453) was a late medieval Scottish nobleman, and a magnate of the north-east of that country.
Life
Alexander Lindsay was the son of David Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Crawford and Marjory Ogilvie, the daug ...
. The Tower and surrounding land were auctioned off in 1696 to pay off the debts of Sir James Cockburn of that Ilk.
In 1330,
Sir Alexander de Cokburne became the Baron of Langton (in Berwickshire),
Carriden
Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...
(in
West Lothian
West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...
) and
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...
(in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
) following his marriage to the wealthy
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
heiress Mariota de
Veteriponte
Vipont (''alias'' Vieuxpont) is the name of a prominent family in the history of Westmorland. According to Thomas
the name originated in France before 1066 as Vieuxpont ("Old Bridge"), Latinized to ''de Vetere Ponte'' ("from the Old Bridge"), ...
(also known as Maria de Vipont).
The Langton estate was located to the southwest of
Duns
Duns may refer to:
* Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland
** Duns railway station
** Duns F.C., a football club
** Duns RFC, a rugby football club
** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372
* Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...
, about 6 km from Cockburn Tower. Sir Alexander's second marriage to the heiress Maria de Monfode added the estate of Skirling (in
Peeblesshire
Peeblesshire ( gd, Siorrachd nam Pùballan), the County of Peebles or Tweeddale is a historic county of Scotland. Its county town is Peebles, and it borders Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lan ...
). The greatly enlarged Cockburn lands were split up among Sir Alexander's three sons; however, the barony of Langton and Carriden remained with the eldest son Alexander. For the next 400 years, the Cockburns of Langton were prominent landowners in Berwickshire. Other branches of the family acquired estates in
Ormiston
Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about .
The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 1735 ...
and Clerkington (just southwest of
Haddington) in
East Lothian
East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921.
In 1975, the histo ...
. The Cockburns of Henderland held land in
Megget
Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles west of Selkirk.
...
then in southern Peeblesshire, while the Cockburns of Skirling held land in the western part of Peebleshire.
William Cockburn of Henderland was a notorious
border reiver
Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their v ...
in early part of the 16th century. His well-known thievery and his purported close connections with his English counterparts just south of the border made him a target for the young
King James V
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and dur ...
, who wished to clearly establish his authority over the more lawless parts of his kingdom. William Cockburn was arrested in 1530, taken to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, tried, convicted of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
and
beheaded
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...
.
[Cockburn, Sir Robert Cockburn Bt. and Harry A. Cockburn, ''The Records of the Cockburn Family'', T. N. Foulis, London, 1913.] His lands and property were forfeited to the
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
. His son, also a William, succeeded in regaining his family's estate following an appeal in 1542 to the
Regent, James, 2nd Earl of Arran. However, his great-great-grandson, Samuel Cockburn, found it necessary to sell the Henderland estate in 1634.
By the middle of the 18th century, as a result of financial difficulties, the Langton and Ormiston branches of the Cockburn family lost most of their land holdings.
Sir Archibald Cockburn, 4th Baronet
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...
of Langton borrowed increasing sums of money, primarily from the Cockburn of Cockburn branch of the family, to help finance ambitious agricultural reforms on his Langton estate. These financial difficulties were not resolved by the three succeeding baronets of Langton. At time of the death of
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 7th Baronet at
Fontenoy in 1745, the financial situation of the Langton branch had become critical. In 1747, his heir,
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet (1729 – 26 July 1804) was a Member of the Parliament of Great Britain for Linlithgow Burghs from 1772 to 1784 and a Director of the East India Company.
Family
He was a son of William Cockburn of Berwickshire and ...
, was unable to fend off the claims of his creditors, which included
Sir James Cockburn, 3rd Baronet Cockburn of that Ilk, Thomas Hay, and others. The decision of the Lords of Session in Scotland in favor of the creditors was appealed to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
in London, but the earlier decision was upheld. The resulting
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
led to the auctioning off of the Estate of Langton, which was purchased in 1757 by David Gavin. Despite the loss of their land, the Langton branch of the Cockburn family would continue to be prominent in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
well into the 19th century, but now in the military and judicial arenas. The Cockburn of Langton baronetcy went dormant in 1880 when the 12th Baronet,
Sir Alexander Cockburn
Sir Alexander James Edmund Cockburn, 12th Baronet (24 September 1802 – 20 November 1880) was a British jurist and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice for 21 years. He heard some of the leading '' causes célèbres'' of the nin ...
, died without legitimate issue.
The Ormiston branch of the Cockburn family stems from the marriage in 1370 of John Cokburne, second son of
Sir Alexander de Cokburne, to Johanetta de Lyndessay, an heiress who owned the estate of Ormiston in East Lothian.
John Cockburn of Ormiston
John Cockburn, (d. 1583) laird of Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland, was an early supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of William Cockburn of Ormiston and Janet Somerville. John was usually called "Ormiston." During his lif ...
and his brother
Ninian Cockburn
Ninian Cockburn (died 6 May 1579) was a Scottish soldier and officer of the Garde Écossaise, a company which guarded the French king. He had an ambiguous role in political relations between Scotland, France and England during the war of the Rough ...
were Protestant supporters of the
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...
and came to support the English cause in 1548 during the war of the
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...
.
John Cockburn of Ormiston
John Cockburn, (d. 1583) laird of Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland, was an early supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of William Cockburn of Ormiston and Janet Somerville. John was usually called "Ormiston." During his lif ...
was another enthusiastic proponent for the modernization of Scottish agricultural practice. The financial consequences of his plans were as ruinous to the Ormiston branch of the Cockburns as they were to the Langton branch. He attempted to demonstrate the benefits of his reforms in a
model community at Ormiston. His ambitious schemes ran into financial difficulties and he was required to sell the estate of Ormiston in 1747 to
John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun
John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun (7 September 1704 – 12 February 1781) was the son of Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun and Lady Henrietta Johnstone.
He married on 14 September 1733 to Anne Ogilvy, daughter of James Ogilvy, 5th Earl of Findlater ...
.
Notable Cockburns
![Poeta1 (Cimitero Acattolico Roma)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Poeta1_%28Cimitero_Acattolico_Roma%29.jpg)
Notable people with the surname Cockburn include:
*
Adam Cockburn of Ormiston
Adam Cockburn, Laird of Ormiston, Lord Ormiston (1656 – 16 April 1735), was a Scottish administrator, politician and judge. He served as Commissioner for Haddington Constabulary in the parliaments of 1681-2 and 1689, and in the conventions ...
, Lord Ormiston (1656–1735), Scottish judge and Lord Justice Clerk
*
Adam Cockburn (actor)
Adam Cockburn is an Australian former child actor and DJ who appeared in feature films made in the 1980s and in TV series aired in the early 1990s. In July 1986 he took the role of the boy apprentice (John) in the Australian Opera production of ...
, Australian actor and DJ
*
Alexander de Cokburne
Sir Alexander de Cokburne (b. c1310, d. c1370) was born into a mid-level landowning family in the Scottish Borders. Through his two marriages, Sir Alexander amassed considerable wealth and power in the Lowland Scottish counties of Berwickshire, W ...
, Sir Alexander de Cokburne, Baron of Langton, Carriden, Bolton and Skirling, (c. 1310–c. 1370), prominent landowner in the Scottish Lowlands
*
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet
Sir Alexander James Edmund Cockburn, 12th Baronet (24 September 1802 – 20 November 1880) was a British jurist and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice for 21 years. He heard some of the leading '' causes célèbres'' of the nine ...
(1802–1880), the 12th Baronet Cockburn of Langton and Lord Chief Justice
*
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn ( ; 6 June 1941 – 21 July 2012) was a Scottish-born Irish-American political journalist and writer. Cockburn was brought up by British parents in Ireland, but lived and worked in the United States from 1972. Together ...
(1941–2012), Irish-American journalist
*
Alison Cockburn
Alison Cockburn also Alison Rutherford, or Alicia Cockburn (8 October 171222 November 1794) was a Scottish poet, wit and socialite who collected a circle of eminent friends in 18th-century enlightenment Edinburgh including Walter Scott, ...
(1712–1794), Scottish poet
*
Alistair Cockburn
Alistair Cockburn ( ) is an American computer scientist, known as one of the initiators of the agile movement in software development. He cosigned (with 17 others) the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.
Life and career
Cockburn starte ...
, software methodologist
*
Andrew Cockburn (ornithologist)
Andrew Cockburn Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, FAA is an Australian evolutionary biologist who has been based at the Australian National University in Canberra since 1983. He has worked and published extensively on the breeding be ...
, Australian ornithologist
*
Andrew Cockburn
Andrew Myles Cockburn ( ; born 7 January 1947) is a British journalist and the Washington, D.C., editor of '' Harper's Magazine''.
Early life
Born in the London suburb of Willesden in 1947, Cockburn grew up in County Cork, Ireland. His father ...
(1947–), Irish-American journalist
*
Archibald Cockburn
Archibald Cockburn (1738 in Edinburgh, Midlothian – 20 June 1820) was a Scottish judge.
He lived at Caroline Park House north of Edinburgh.
Family
Son of Archibald Cockburn of Cockpen and wife (m. 17 August 1735) Martha Dundas, daughter ...
(1738–1820), Scottish judge
*
Bill Cockburn
William Robb Cockburn (3 May 1937 – August 1995) was an English professional footballer. After a five-year stint at Burnley without ever playing for the first team, he joined Gillingham in 1960 and went on to make 62 appearances in the Footb ...
(1937–1995), English footballer
*
Bronte Cockburn (born 1941), Australian basketball player
*
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, po ...
(1945–), Canadian singer-songwriter
*
Catherine Trotter Cockburn
Catharine Trotter Cockburn (16 August 1679 – 11 May 1749) was an English novelist, dramatist, and philosopher. She wrote on moral philosophy, theological tracts, and had a voluminous correspondence.
Trotter's work addresses a range of issues ...
(1679–c. 1749), British writer
*
Claud Cockburn
Francis Claud Cockburn ( ; 12 April 1904 – 15 December 1981) was a British journalist. His saying "believe nothing until it has been officially denied" is widely quoted in journalistic studies, but he did not claim credit for origina ...
(1904–1981), British journalist
*
Claudia Cockburn
Claudia Cockburn Flanders, OBE (11 February 1933 – 25 June 1998) was an American-British disability activist who spent much of her working life in the United Kingdom.
Her parents were Claud Cockburn, a journalist, and Hope Hale Davis. She marr ...
(1933–1998), British activist for the disabled
*
David Cockburn, Scottish coffee planter and District Collector in early 19th century Tamil Nadu, India
*
David Cockburn (1941–), British philosopher
*
Don Cockburn
Donald Cockburn (13 March 1930 – 4 September 2017) was an Irish journalist, presenter and newsreader. He is best known as a long-serving newsreader for Raidió TeilifÃs Éireann (RTÉ), who anchored the broadcaster's main evening television ...
(1930-2017) Irish journalist, presenter and newsreader
*
Sir Francis Cockburn (1780–1868), British officer and colonial administrator
*
George Cockburne (died 1770), British captain and Comptroller of the Navy from 1756 to 1770
*
Sir George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, (22 April 1772 – 19 August 1853) was a British Royal Navy officer. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars a ...
(1772–1853), the 10th Baronet Cockburn of Langton and British naval admiral
*
George Bertram Cockburn
George Bertram Cockburn Order of the British Empire, OBE (8 January 1872 – 25 February 1931) was a research chemist who became an aviation pioneer. He represented Great Britain in the first international air race at Rheims and co-founded the ...
, British chemist and pioneer aviator
*
Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn
Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn (19 November 1867 – 12 July 1913) was a Canadian soldier, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwea ...
(1867–1913), Canadian Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross
*
Henry Cockburn (bishop) (died 1476), 15th century Scottish bishop
*
Henry Thomas Cockburn (1779–1854), Scottish Whig, writer, lawyer, judge, Solicitor General for Scotland
*
Henry Cockburn (consul) (1859–1927), British consul
*
Henry Cockburn (footballer)
Henry Cockburn (14 September 1921 – 2 February 2004) was an English professional footballer, who played league football for Manchester United, Bury and Peterborough United. He represented England at international level, playing 13 times for ...
, English (soccer) footballer
*
Hermione Cockburn
Hermione Anne Phoebe Cockburn (born 1973, Sussex, England) is a British television and radio presenter specialising in scientific and educational programmes. She is currently Scientific Director at Our Dynamic Earth.
Biography
Cockburn grew up ...
, British presenter
*
Jack Cockburn
Jack Cockburn (26 December 1911 - 21 September 1990) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Cockburn ...
, Australian Rules footballer
*
James Cockburn (Royal Navy officer)
Rear Admiral James Horsford Cockburn (1817 – 10 February 1872) was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.
Naval career
Cockburn joined the Royal Navy in 1829. Promoted to captain in 1850, he commanded HMS ''C ...
(1817–1872), commanded ships during the Crimean War and then Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
*
James Cockburn (politician, born 1819)
James W. Cockburn, (February 13, 1819 – August 14, 1883) was a Canadian Conservative politician, and a father of Canadian Confederation.
Early life
He was born in Berwick-Upon-Tweed on the English– Scottish border and immigrated to Canad ...
(1819–1883), Canadian politician and a Father of the Canadian Confederation of 1867
*
James Cockburn (minister) (1882–1973), Scottish scholar and Church of Scotland clergyman
*
James Pattison Cockburn
James Pattison Cockburn (18 March 1779 – 18 March 1847) was an artist, author and military officer. He was born into a military family and received his military training at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich where he received training in d ...
(1779–1847), British artillery officer and important painter of watercolors in Upper and Lower Canada
*
John Cockburn of Ormiston
John Cockburn, (d. 1583) laird of Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland, was an early supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He was the eldest son of William Cockburn of Ormiston and Janet Somerville. John was usually called "Ormiston." During his lif ...
, 16th-century Scottish landowner
*
John Cockburn (Scottish officer) (c. 1620–c. 1680), 17th-century Scottish Governor of Stirling Castle and Hume Castle
*
John Cockburn (Scottish politician)
John Cockburn ( ; – 12 November 1758) of Ormiston, East Lothian, was a Scottish landowner and politician who sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1702 to 1707 and as a Whig in the British House of Commons for 34 years from 1707 to 1741.
...
, John Cockburn of Ormiston (c. 1685–1758), Scottish politician, landowner and agricultural reformer
*
John Cockburn (Australian politician)
Sir John Alexander Cockburn (23 August 185026 November 1929) was Premier of South Australia from 27 June 1889 to 18 August 1890.
Early life
Cockburn was born in Corsbie, Berwickshire, Scotland, in 1850 to Thomas Cockburn, farmer, and his wife ...
(1850–1929), Australian politician
*
John Cockburn (test pilot) (1937–2017), British test pilot of English Electric "Lightning"
*
Karen Cockburn (1980–), Canadian gymnast
*
Kofi Cockburn
Kofi Cockburn ( ; born 1 September 1999) is a Jamaican professional basketball player who currently plays for Niigata Albirex of the Japanese B. League. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Early life
Cockburn was born i ...
(born 1999), Jamaican basketball player
*
Leslie Cockburn
Leslie Cockburn ( ; born Leslie Corkill Redlich on September 2, 1952) is an American investigative journalist, and filmmaker. Her investigative television segments have aired on CBS, NBC, '' PBS Frontline'', and '' 60 Minutes''. She has won an E ...
(1952–), American writer and filmmaker
*
Martin Cockburn (1731–1818), Jamaican-born American planter (Fairfax County, Virginia). Neighbor and close friend of
George Mason
George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including s ...
.
*
Ninian Cockburn
Ninian Cockburn (died 6 May 1579) was a Scottish soldier and officer of the Garde Écossaise, a company which guarded the French king. He had an ambiguous role in political relations between Scotland, France and England during the war of the Rough ...
(died 1579), 16th-century intriguer
*
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' ( ...
(born Olivia Cockburn in 1984), American actress
*
Patrick Cockburn
Patrick Oliver Cockburn ( ; born 5 March 1950) is a journalist who has been a Middle East correspondent for the ''Financial Times'' since 1979 and, from 1990, ''The Independent''. He has also worked as a correspondent in Moscow and Washington ...
(1950–), Irish journalist
*
Peter Cockburn, president of the Royal Philatelic Society London
*
Richard Cockburn of Clerkington
Sir Richard Cockburn of Clerkington, Lord Clerkintoun (1565–1627) was a senior government official in Scotland serving as Lord Privy Seal of Scotland during the reign of James VI.Anderson, William, ''The Scottish Nation; or the Surnames, F ...
(c. 1565–1627), Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland
*
Richard Cockburn Maclaurin
Richard Cockburn Maclaurin ( ; June 5, 1870 – January 15, 1920) was a Scottish-born U.S. educator and mathematical physicist. He was made president of MIT in 1909, and held the position until his death in 1920.
During his tenure as president ...
, American educator and physicist
*
Robert Cockburn
Robert Cockburn (died 1526) was a 16th-century Scottish diplomat and cleric.
Robert Cockburn was the third son of William Cockburn of Skirling and Cessford, and Marion, daughter of Lord Crichton of Sanquhar.
Cockburn was a university grad ...
, Scottish bishop and diplomat during the Renaissance
*
Robert Cockburn (wine merchant) (1781–1844), soldier, wine merchant and founder of
Cockburn's Port House Cockburn's Port ( ) is a port wine producer in Portugal.
Cockburn's was set up by Scotsman Robert Cockburn in 1815, who returned to Portugal after first visiting the country as a soldier fighting under Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars. It later b ...
*
Robert Cockburn (physicist)
Sir Robert Cockburn ( ; 31 March 1909 – 21 March 1994) was a British physicist who played an important role in the field of electronic countermeasures for the RAF in the defence of Britain during the Second World War.
Education
Born in Por ...
(1909–1994), British physicist and key developer of electronic countermeasures during WWII
*
Rodney Cockburn
Rodney Cockburn (21 October 1877 – 28 September 1932) was a South Australian journalist, author of a popular reference book on South Australian place names.
History
Cockburn was born in Kent Town, South Australia, a son of George (c. 1835 †...
(1877–1932), author of a book on South Australian place names
*
Sally Cockburn, Canadian-American mathematician
*Sarah Cockburn (1939–2000), barrister and writer who used the pseudonym
Sarah Caudwell
Sarah Caudwell was the pseudonym of Sarah Cockburn (/ˈkoʊbərn/ KOH-bərn; 27 May 1939 – 28 January 2000), a British barrister and writer of detective stories. She is best known for a series of four murder stories written between 1980 and ...
*
Samuel Cockburn (mercenary leader)
Colonel Samuel Cockburn (c. 1574 – December 1621) was a Scottish soldier in the service of Sweden who sometimes took the role of (''generalfältvaktmästare'') a temporary role akin to a major general, but not a fixed rank. He was born ar ...
(1574–1621), Scottish soldier who served in the Swedish army
*
Samuel Cockburn (physician and homeopath) (1823–1915), outspoken Scottish advocate for homeopathy
*
Stewart Cockburn (1921–2009), South Australian journalist and author, son of Rodney Cockburn
*
William Cockburn (cavalry officer)
Major William Cockburn (c.1605–1683) was the son of William Cockburn (late of Skirling) and Joneta Hamilton, the daughter of Sir James Hamilton of Libberton. Major Cockburn is best known for his role as a Scottish Royalist cavalry leader durin ...
(c. 1605–1683), Scottish Royalist cavalry officer who led operations against Covenanter leaders in Ayrshire and Galloway
*
William Cockburn (physician) (1669–1739), Scottish physician who sold to the British Royal Navy a purported cure for dysentery
Cockburn baronetcies
There have been two
Cockburn Baronetcies in the
Baronetage of Nova Scotia
Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain.
Baronetage of England (1611–1705)
King James I ...
.
[Thomas Cockburn-Hood, ''The house of Cockburn of that ilk and the cadets thereof: with historical anecdotes of the times in which many of the name played a conspicuous part'', Scott and Ferguson, Edinburgh, 1888.]
See also
*
Cockburn (disambiguation)
*
Coburn (disambiguation) __NOTOC__
Coburn may refer to:
Places
* Coburn, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place, United States
* Coburn, West Virginia, an unincorporated community, United States
* Coburn Mountain (Maine), United States
* Coburn Hill, Yellowstone County, M ...
References
External links
Sir Robert Cockburn, Bart., and Harry A. Cockburn, ''The Records of the Cockburn Family'', Edinburgh (1913)Cockburn-Hood, Thomas H., ''The House of Cockburn of that Ilk'', Edinburgh (1888)Paradox of Medieval Scotland (PoMS) databaseCockburn Family DNA Project WebsiteDunbar Surname DNA ProjectL257 A North Sea Tribe
{{Scottish clans
Cockburn
Scottish surnames
Surnames of Lowland Scottish origin
Cockburn
Word play