Historical Trotts
Earliest of the Name
Early instances of this name include Robert fil TROTE in 1165 (Pipe Rolls), Simon TROT in 1273 (Hundred Rolls), John TROUT of county Somerset, around 1327 (Kirby's Quest) and William le TROT in 1327 (Subsidy Rolls). There is also record of Jeffry TROTE as ‘Bailiff of Yarmouth’ in 1340 (History of Norfolk). In 1661, William Fitter married Jane TROTE, at Saint Michaels in Cornhill, and John TROTT was a Martyr of the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.
Trott in Essex and Kent
The earliest North West Essex TROTT reference, found to date, is the 1327 Lay Subsidy entry of Willelmo TROT of Manewedene (Manuden) near Saffron Walden. There is further extensive evidence of TROTTs in and around Saffron Walden/North West Essex throughout the 14th/15th/16th/17th/18th and 19th centuries with proven line back to mid 1500s. During the early 1700s Michael TROTT moved to Deal in Kent and from his descendants a further extensive TROTT family line also developed through to the present time. Many of them drowned heroically saving lives off the Kent coast. Evidence from the same line of North West Essex and Kent TROTTs has been found all over the UK and throughout the world including France, Australia, USA, Canada, China and South Africa.
Trott in the West Country
This area is generally used to describe the English counties of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, although sometimes Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Isles of Scilly along with the City of Bristol are also included. We are lucky that the area (Somerset) where the greatest incidences of three of the surname variants (TROTT, TRATT and TREAT) either originate or are to be found, are also included in a number of useful Indexes such as the IGI/CFI and Dr Campbell's Index. Data is limited to some extent, however, as in both these sources not every Parish nor all years of the Parish Records have been included. so it is not possible to make definitive statements based on them alone.
Many of you will have seen from the Distribution Maps in another section of this site that Devon, Somerset, and to a lesser extent Dorset are a hotbed of both TROTT and TRATT families. Unfortunately, all the data is based on relatively recent information and is therefore not able to directly tell us whether the most populous counties were also the origins of the name or alternatively the families grew up independently in other parts of the country. Few Trotts are to be found before the 20th century in Wiltshire or Cornwall.
Similarly, with instances of the name occurring in other countries in Europe during the 12th century we cannot be sure if migration took place and, if so, in which direction. Perhaps our dna project will be able to assist – although I think it is primarily currently covering the UK and USA with some extensions to Australia, but time may tell. If we look at the dna groups, there is a hypothesis that the Torrington area of Devon has a number of families that lived there in the 18th century are linked to the line from Ottery St Mary. However, the latter are thought to originate there from the marriage in 1692 yet there is evidence of Trotts in Torrington in the 16th century. It may of course be that both lines can be traced back to there, we can only use the information to establish family ties rather than origins per se. We do know that the N America has incidences of the various spellings migrating there from both England and other parts of Europe and individual research suggests the Petrockstow (near Great Torrington) line may have originated in Seaton/Beer some 50 miles away - possible, but unlikely in those days. when travel generally came from walking or horseback! The fact that both are not far from the coast may indicate sea travel and more work is necessary to unravel the various questions.
Also mentioned in other pages is another unique aspect relevant to the counties in question is the speech accent of its ‘native’ inhabitants allied to the national inability of the general population until schooling became widespread that few people other than the clergy could read and/or write. This meant that when Parish Records were being written after being introduced in the16th century, they were written phonetically as heard – leading to TROTT becoming TRATT having been heard more as TRART.
A complete listing of all Parishes included in the Mormon Church inspired International Genealogical Index (IGI – used to be called the Computer File Index (CFI)) is useful, but unfortunately not every Parish is covered, does suggest that Yorkshire, Suffolk, the Home Counties (simplistically London and adjacent/close counties) vie with the West Country for Trott origins, but the latter have the greatest incidence of the name. Despite the limitations dues to less than complete coverage, looking at the earliest incidence in the various Parishes and Counties, we can see that in the 16th century the main locations for our family names occurred in three main areas – Exeter in Devon along with Pitminster and Martock in Somerset. From the early 17th century the Uffculme and Yarcombe areas – both not far from any of the earlier places - became popular residences for almost four centuries.
A similar examination of those counties suggest that the area around Yarcombe probably produced many, if not all, of the DEVON families but it is also highly probable that these came from over the Somerset border in the Martock or Pitminster areas with a similar possibility that the Dorset families originated in the same place! We do, however, know that many people from the area moved across the Bristol Channel to Wales, and others into both Sussex and the Isle of Wight.
Coats of Arms
Coats of Arms are granted by Letters Patent as delegated to the College of Arms by the Sovereign. The origin of the term Coat of Arms is in a garment worn known as a surcoat, a cloth worn over armour. Coats of Arms date back to medieval times and came about by the need to establish identity in battle. A Coat of Arms identifies family descent.
Over the years our Group have found some 6 Coats of Arms associated with TROTT. Two are shown. As with many research issues of long ago, there are unknowns about these. The upper Coat of Arms showing a cross was granted to John TROTT of Westerham in Kent, and is associated with Sir John TROTT of Laverstoke, Hampshire.
The second of the Coats of Arms (a bear saliant) is from the London family of TROTTs and was granted in 1574.
The depiction of the two Coats of Arms is from The Visitation of London, Vol 2. 1634-1635, The Harleian Society, 1883.
