My first encounter with Enock genealogy occurred around 2003 when my Dad returned home from a visit to my grandparents with a family tree spread over two sheets of A2 paper. Its longest line spanned twelve generations and traced the family back to a Richard Enock who was born in the Warwickshire village of Burton Dassett in 1600. It was an impressive piece of work, however, I didn’t connect with it in the same way I did later as it contained only basic information, and as a result the tree was stored away in a cupboard where it remained for the next ten years or so.
“The surname Willdig,” my wife proclaimed on the 30th January 2013, “was first found in Staffordshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest of 1066.” She had found this information on a website that claimed to have a huge library of histories and coats of arms associated surnames from around the world, so naturally I set about investigating the origins of the Enock name.
“The surname Enock was first found in Hampshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed, but Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1148 when Enoc was recorded with taxable assets.”
Fascinating information, but exactly how accurate is this research?
I trawled the Internet for further information and came across ancestry.co.uk. I downloaded their smart phone app, entered my details and those of my parents and grandparents, and before I knew it I had traced the Enock line back to 1702 with the birth of my 6th great-grandfather, John Enock..
Since then my interest in genealogy has become nothing short of an obsession. I’ve spent thousands of hours sifting through digital records, newspaper archives, search engine results and books; I’ve contacted numerous people and institutions around the world appealing for information, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the UK to meet relatives, visit record offices, scrutinise graves, and walk in my ancestors’ footsteps, and in August 2013 I established this website to share my work. I have since connected with people from all over the world, and with their help I have been able to bring that old paper tree to life..
I’m yet to find my connection with Lord of the Manor, Enoc of Hampshire, but the search continues.
Page updated 1st July, 2021.
