Hancorne family

The Hancorne family was a landed gentry family whose principal historical associations were with the English counties of Warwickshire and Herefordshire and the Welsh counties of Breconshire and Glamorgan. It is described in historical material under both the Hancorne and Hancorn spellings. The family is not a commercial brand in the ordinary sense; rather, the name identifies a network of related lines that acquired land, offices, ecclesiastical positions, and connections with other prominent families between the Caroline period and the nineteenth century. Family tradition traced the Hancornes to three brothers who supposedly came to Britain from Spain to escape religious persecution. D. H. H. Grainger proposed that this tradition might reflect a Marrano background, although the account is presented as a historical interpretation rather than an established fact. A grant of arms was made to the family in 1627. The arms included three cocks, which family tradition connected with the three founding brothers and with Three Cocks in Breconshire. The earliest known figure in the most prominent line was Thomas Hancorne, who died in 1644. Earlier records also connect John and Agnes Hancorne with the Guild of Knowle in Warwickshire. By the seventeenth century, branches of the family were established in Herefordshire. Thomas's sons included Samuel Hancorne, who became the ancestor of later Welsh branches; Thomas Hancorne, who remained associated with Clifford in Herefordshire; and Richard Hancorn, who established a Hereford line. The family's Herefordshire and Welsh branches developed through landholding and marriage. Richard Hancorn of Whitney, who lived from 1684 to 1751, was associated with Millhalf Farm at Millhalf. His son, the Reverend Richard Hancorn Duppa, inherited the manors of Hollingbourne Hill and Combe Manor in Kent, together with other estates connected with Baldwin Duppa. An Act passed during the reign of George III authorized him to adopt the Duppa name and arms. His brother Baldwin Hancorn Duppa likewise inherited estates and used the Duppa name, as did Baldwin Duppa Duppa, who later held Hollingbourne House near Maidstone. Samuel Hancorne, who died in 1691, moved from Whitney to Glasbury in Breconshire and became the progenitor of later Hancorne lines in Breconshire and Glamorgan. His eldest son, the Reverend Thomas Hancorne, established the Glamorgan branch. Members of this line were involved in the social and political networks of South Wales. Thomas Hancorne was associated with the Sea Serjeants, a Jacobite-oriented club linked with David Morgan and Sir John Philipps, and with the Independent Electors of Westminster. Edward Hancorne, a younger member of the Glamorgan line, served as agent and solicitor to Thomas Mansel, 1st Baron Mansel. His 1708 marriage to Elizabeth Mansel, daughter of Thomas Mansel of Penrice Castle, brought the Hancornes into possession of Penrice Castle and its surrounding lands. The estate had previously been held by the Mansel family for centuries. Edward's eldest son, Thomas Hancorne, inherited the property in 1741. Another son, Edward Hancorne, established a separate line at Berry Hall, while Robert Hancorne became an attorney of Gray's Inn and settled at Bishopston House. The family's historical significance therefore rests on landed estates, hereditary identity, marriage alliances, religious and legal careers, and participation in regional political society. The available material does not establish a present-day operating organization, consumer offering, corporate owner, or active commercial brand using the name.

The Hancorne family, also recorded as Hancorn, formed several related lines of landed gentry in the English Midlands and western counties and in southern Wales. The family's period of prominence extended broadly from the Caroline era through the nineteenth century. Its history is documented through family traditions, pedigrees, estate succession, clerical and legal careers, marriage alliances, and participation in regional political networks. A family tradition stated that three brothers escaped Spain because of religious persecution and became the ancestors of the British family. The tradition was later interpreted by D. H. H. Grainger as possibly indicating Marrano ancestry, though this remains a proposed explanation rather than a confirmed genealogy. A grant of arms in 1627 gave the family a formal heraldic identity. The coat of arms featured three cocks, a design traditionally associated with the three brothers and with the place-name Three Cocks in Breconshire. The earliest known person in the principal pedigree was Thomas Hancorne, who died in 1644. Separate Warwickshire records mention John and Agnes Hancorne in connection with the Guild of Knowle. The family became established in Herefordshire during the seventeenth century. Thomas Hancorne's sons founded or continued distinct branches: Samuel moved toward Wales, Thomas remained linked to Clifford, and Richard established a line associated with Hereford. The Whitney branch illustrates the family's advancement through estates and inheritance. Richard Hancorn of Millhalf Farm in Whitney was the son of Richard Hancorn and Eleanor Duppa and the grandson of Richard Hancorn, who died in 1704. Richard's son, the Reverend Richard Hancorn Duppa, inherited the manors of Hollingbourne Hill and Combe Manor in Kent and other Duppa estates. He was required to adopt the Duppa name and arms, an arrangement confirmed by an Act under George III. His brother Baldwin Hancorn Duppa also inherited property and adopted the Duppa designation. Baldwin's son, Baldwin Duppa Duppa, later held Hollingbourne House and served as a justice of the peace and deputy lieutenant. Another major branch began with Samuel Hancorne's move from Whitney to Glasbury in Breconshire. His descendants became associated with Breconshire and Glamorgan. The Reverend Thomas Hancorne, Samuel's eldest son, established the Glamorgan line. Several of his descendants pursued clerical, legal, and estate-related careers. The family participated in South Wales's gentry society, including the Sea Serjeants, a Jacobite club associated with David Morgan and Sir John Philipps, and the Independent Electors of Westminster. Edward Hancorne, born in 1676, became an agent and solicitor to Thomas Mansel, 1st Baron Mansel. His marriage in 1708 to Elizabeth Mansel connected him to the Penrice estate and led to his possession of Penrice Castle and its lands. The Mansels had held those properties since the fifteenth century. After Edward's death, his eldest son Thomas inherited the Penrice lands. A younger son, Edward, developed the Berry Hall branch in Glamorgan, while Robert trained and worked as an attorney at Gray's Inn before settling at Bishopston House. The historical record presents the Hancornes as a dispersed family rather than a centralized institution. Their identity was maintained through surnames, variants in spelling, heraldry, estates, marriage ties, and public or ecclesiastical roles. No reliable evidence in the supplied material identifies a current company, product portfolio, headquarters, commercial website, executive structure, or continuing business operation under the family name.

• 1741

  Inheritance of Penrice lands

  [1]Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Hancorne, the eldest son of Edward Hancorne, inherited the Penrice Castle lands following his father's death.

• 1708

  Marriage alliance with the Mansel family

  [1]Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org

  Edward Hancorne married Elizabeth Mansel, linking him to the Penrice Castle estate and leading to Hancorne possession of Penrice Castle and its lands.

• 1691

  Samuel Hancorne's death and Welsh succession

  [1]Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org

  Samuel Hancorne, who had moved from Whitney to Glasbury, died. His descendants formed later Hancorne lines in Breconshire and Glamorgan.

• 1644

  Death of Thomas Hancorne

  [1]Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org

  Thomas Hancorne, identified as the earliest known member of the family's principal prominent line, died. His descendants became the source of several later English and Welsh branches.

• 1627

  Grant of arms

  [1]Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org

  A grant of arms was made to the Hancorne family. Its three-cock design was later associated in family tradition with the family's three founding brothers and with Three Cocks in Breconshire.

Historical landed family and genealogical subject, not a conventional commercial brand.

1. 1Hancorne familyen.wikipedia.org