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The surname, Brecknock, appears to have originated in Buckinghamshire, possibly an "anglicanization" of a French (Norman) surname. There are a few generations in the Edlesborough area. From there, via marriages and grants from royalty, they seem to have moved onto lands further west - Herefordshire is one place.
The Brecknocks that I am tracing are mainly in Shropshire but the question is whether they are connected to the Buckinghamshire family. The name could well be connected only to the area of the English and Welsh border country - the county name of Breconshire is assumed to be translated from the Welsh.
There is an added mystery to the name BRECKNOCK, long researched but without a clear explanation. Many family members changed their names to BREAKWELL but then inexplicably started using an alias of COLTON. There appears to be no recorded reason for this and, to add to the confusion, there are several generations in which "Colton alias Brecknock" and "Breakwell alias Colton" are the supplied surnames for children within the same family!
I descend from a Richard Brecknock, born 1660, in Shropshire, through several generations of Brecknock/Breakwell/Colton, finally ending in Colton as the surname. However, there are still Brecknocks and Breakwells in the world - and I guess we are all related!
I am interested in finding the Brecknocks before their appearance in Shropshire. And an answer to the alias usage would interest all of us!
Janice (Watkins) Jones Canada