Colegrove is a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

that developed in

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 ...

between the 12th and 15th centuries. The name may have originated from a grove along the

River Cole, Wiltshire The River Cole is a tributary of the River Thames in England which flows through Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, forming part of the border between the two counties. Course The river rises in Swindon, west of the town centre in the Walcot area. ...

, a tributary of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England. Another explanation as to the origin of the name is from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

''cole'' ‘coal’ + ''grave'' ‘pit’, ‘grave’ (

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''col'' + ''græf''). Other forms of spelling in the past include ‘Colgrove’, ‘Colegrave’, ‘Colgrave’, ‘Coulgrove’. The first records of the Colegrove name were in 14th century England. The family name is found throughout the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, 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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and other nations. The first known mention of Colgrove as a surname was of one Johannes Colgrove of

Kiddington Kiddington is a village on the River Glyme in the civil parish of Kiddington with Asterleigh about southeast of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The village is just north of the A44 road between Woodstock and Chipping Norton. Manor The toponym ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

from 1377 during the

Poll Tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...

levied to finance the war against France by

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

. Over two hundred years later, there were still people with that surname in Kiddington and the surrounding towns, such as

Swalcliffe Swalcliffe is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is about long north–south and about east–west. The 2011 Census recorded the population of the modern Swalcliffe parish as 210. The toponym "Swalc ...

, Oxfordshire. There were also place names in England with the name Colegrove. The earliest mention of which was in a grant of land from one "William de Colethrop" to his son John in

Kemerton Kemerton is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire in England. It lies at the extreme south of the county in the local government district of Wychavon. Until boundary changes in 1931, it formed part of neighbouring Gloucestershire, and it ...

, Gloucestershire recorded in 1260. Another place named Colegrave was listed in Northaptonshire records in 1293 in The National Archives of the UK, and later in 1545 in Essex. The earliest known Colegrove who settled in America was

Francis Colegrove Francis Colegrove Sr. (c. 1667 – c. 1759) was an English colonial immigrant, born most likely in Oxfordshire or London, England, although others have suggested Glamorgan, Wales, who settled in Warwick, Rhode Island, in about 1688. He is the first ...

who came from England to

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

colony about the year 1683, and from whom descend much of the family in the United States today.

List of persons with the surname

(c. 1667 – c. 1759), colonial immigrant first known Colegrove in the United States *

Jeremiah Colegrove Jeremiah Colegrove (31 July 1758 – 26 August 1836) was born to William Colegrove in Scituate, Rhode Island. A man of giant stature, both physically and in the community, he was a prominent farmer and manufacturer in New England. Jeremiah serve ...

(1756–1838) one of the founders of North Adams, Massachusetts * Michael Bruce Colegrove, fifth President of Hargrave Military Academy

References

* Colegrove, William. The History and genealogy of the Colegrove family in America: with biographical sketches, portraits, etc. Napoleon, OH: Genie Publ., 1999. Print. Originally published 1894 * Hanks, Patrick, Richard Coates, Peter McClure, and Paul Cullen. The Oxford dictionary of family names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford, UK: Oxford U Press, 2016. Print. Page 547 * The National Archives of the UK (TNA) website : 40 - Gloucestershire Archives: D214 - The papers of John Parsons, Solicitor, of Kemerton including his family papers: PARISH: HARESCOMBE, STANDISH, FRAMILODE: D214/T30A - STANDISH: D214/T30A/5 - Grant: (1) William de Colethrop to (2) John his son - ½ of all (1)'s tenements as in lands, fields, pastures and flocks... {{DEFAULTSORT:Colegrove (Surname) English-language surnames

List of persons with the surname

See also

References