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COLE GENEALOGY | 
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The Cole name is a very old one in Great Britain; the origin of the name is shrouded in antiquity.
According to James Edwin Cole Genealogy of the Family of Cole, 1867, there are several theories. He found in A New System, or an Analysis of Ancient Mythology, by Jacob Bryant, that the original name could be the same as "Cou-El" or "Co-El", which means "Heavenly" or the House or Region of the Deity. Another theory is that it is a shortened name from the name "Nicholas". James believes, however, that it is most likely the shortening of the word Agricola, the Latin word for farmer or tiller of the soil.
The earliest historical reference to Cole in Great Britain comes from one of the Kings of Britain, Coel Hen. (Hen is the British/Welsh word for "Old"). He was a ruler of Northern Britain, and started as a Roman governor. He apparently led the transition from Roman rule to local rule when the Romans withdrew. He lived around AD 350-420. For more information on his historical importance, see THE KINGS OF NORTHERN BRITAIN. See also EARLY BRITISH KINGDOMS for his traditional ancestry.
During the rule of the Normans, starting with William the Conqueror (1066) all legal records were written in Latin, French or the olde English. Queen Elizabeth I had many of them translated back to her modern English. Among the papers is a settlement from 1070 AD, written in the Saxon tongue (translation is dated 1587), that William the Conqueror met with many Knights and Barons, and among them (from Hampshire and Wiltshire) was a Baron Cole. This is the first English legal record referring to one of our ancestors. Shortly after this proclamation, Baron Cole accompanied Martin de Tours (Turribus) from there on a marauding expedition into Cemaes, South Wales. He was the ancestor of the families of Cole, Young and Mathias (Source: Genealogy of the Family of Cole, by James Erwin-Cole, 1867, in a Footnote, p. 2, he cited Fenton's Tour in Pembrokeshire, 1811, pp. 521, 538.)
The second legal reference to the name Cole comes in the third year of the reign of King John (1201). King John is the famous king made to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. Here, William Cole and his wife, Ysabella are named in the Assize Roll of the county of Cornwall.
The next reference takes place in 1212, in the fourteenth year in the reign of King John. Roger Cole granted lands (to be held for him and his heirs) for Edith, lately the wife of Ralph Burdeville. The original wording doesn't make much sense, but we are looking at the translations 500 years afterwards ("Roger Cole granted to Edith, late wife of Ralph Burdeville, a capital messuage and lands in Hoke(something), in the county of Devon, to be held of him for the term of her life, with remainder to himself and his heirs.")
The next reference is in 1219 - Roger Cole is on the Fine roll relating to a third part of one knight's fee in Hardwinesleigh, in the same county.
The first record we have for an individual at the head of the family tree is for William Cole of Hutenesleigh (now Hittisleigh) in the county of Devon, living in the year 1243. It seems that some of his descendants were Knights, and were required to give an accounting of their genealogy as far back as they could. William was as far back as they could go directly. For the first seven generations or so, we have at least one significant date indicating that each individual was living at that point. To start, we have the FIRST seven generations, including the top of the family tree, WILLIAM COLE.
Source: The Genealogy of the Family of Cole, of the County of Devon, and those of the Branches that settled in Suffolk, Hampshire, Surry, Lincolnshire and Ireland by James-Edwin Cole, 1867, Printed for private circulation. This book was written to honor the Earl of Enniskillen, William Willoughby Cole, whose coat of arms graces the pages of many other genealogies about the Cole family. You can read or download this book from GOOGLE.
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