Cockerham
Cockerham is a very straightforward name which was recorded in the Domesday Book as Cocreham.
It is the ‘hām’ or smaller settlement (later the word became ‘home’) on the River Cocker.
The ‘ham’ ending was used in early Anglo-Saxon placenames. Recent research by Dave Ratledge into the course of the Roman Road north to Lancaster now shows it passing through Cockerham – making it a very likely candidate for early settlement by the Anglo-Saxons. Possibly it already existed and was just re-named. All the maps can be found here
The River Cocker was probably first mentioned in 934 as the Cocur. Like many names, particularly on the west side of the country, Cocker is likely to be a British name. If so, it means ‘crooked’ or ‘winding’ – which indeed it is.
The photo shows Cockerham in 1918 at the end of the First World War.