Le Brocq

Le Brocq family page

William Le Brocq (1786-1871)

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Francis Le Brocq and Joseph Rio

Origin of Surname

Historians differ over the origins of this very common Jersey surname. The Rev George Balleine believed that it came from Brock, the badger, and that it implied that the original holder of the name was snappy and dangerous when baited.

However, St Ouen historian Frank Le Maistre considered it to have derived in Viking times from "broc" a spur of land or "bro" a receptacle made of pottery.

French sources offer a further variety of possible origins, including someone living in an area covered in spiny shrubs, someone whose teeth protruded from his mouth, or from ancient Occitan, someone living on a rocky outcrop.

Early years

The earliest Jersey mention of the surname Le Brocq is in the 1299 Assize Roll, when the daughter of Richard de Gruchy, who was probably of Trinity, was beaten by a Le Brocq. The name was mainly found in St Ouen, where Colin Le Brocq was living in 1309.

Colin Le Broke, perhaps the same man, was a sergeant at Mont Orgueil Castle in 1338, and a second Colin Le Brocq witnessed a contract in 1496.

The Jersey historian, the Rev J A Messervy, wrote in 1917: "From the 15th century, several branches of the family were established in St Ouen - the Le Brocqs of La Croix, those near the Church, those of Trodès, La Ville-au-Bas, La Robeline, Grantez, Léoville, etc. There were in 1548: Jean Le Brocq fils Pierre from near the Church, Jean Le Brocq fils Pierre of Le Moctier, Jean Le Brocq fils Pierre, des Camps."

Ramie Le Brocq

There were also, in 1570, three contemporary Matthieu Le Brocqs. Messervy continued:

"From the 16th century, several branches of the Le Brocq family accompanied the Seigneur of St Ouen to settle in Sark. It is from Sark that a Le Brocq went to settle in Guernsey, where he founded, under the name of Brock, a family that became most influential. Other Le Brocqs from Jersey emigrated to Guernsey, also to England and to America. For example, in 1711, Pierre Le Brocq of Newport, Rhode Island, was the son and heir of Pierre Le Brocq of St Brelade. In 1727, George Le Brocq, fils Philippe, of Jersey, lived in Boston, New England.

"Several members of the family entered the clergy: [Sire Gregoire Le Brocq, priest, was living c1540]; Sire George Le Brocq, priest, was living c1560; Maïtre François Le Brocq was Rector of St Lawrence, 1580-83. In more recent times, the Rev Philippe Le Brocq, c1790, was living in Kingston. In the 19th century, the Rev André Le Brocq, son of Capt André Le Brocq, of St Mary, was "Chaplain,RN" He died in 1858, returning from China to Europe".

Among the early Le Brocqs was Benest, born about 1480, the father of Matthieu Le Brocq, (c1510-1595). The latter was Constable of St Ouen before 1552, and then from 1552-1581, and again from 1592 to 1595. The Le Brocqs gave to the Island another four constables. These were Jean Le Brocq of La Fontaine, St Peter, 1864-1873, having previously been one of the first batch of Deputies, elected in 1857; François Le Brocq of Homestead, St Peter, 1888-1907, having also served as a Deputy from 1885; James Le Brocq, of Les Châtaigniers, St Ouen, 1957-1961 and in recent times, Robert Le Brocq was Constable of St Helier.

Raymond Frank Le Brocq, whose family was from St Peter, served as a Jurat of the Royal Court from 1967, and Hedley John Le Brocq, of the same family, was a St Peter Deputy in 1907. Norman Le Brocq was for many years a Deputy in St Helier.

Pre-1600 records for the family also exist in St Mary. Most of the available records concerning the family are from the western parishes of St Ouen, St Mary, St Peter, and St Brelade, where the Le Brocqs of La Fosse, in Grantez, had settled as merchants in the late 16th century.

The name occurs in nine of the twelve parishes of the island for the most part pre-1800.

Le Brocq homes

In St Ouen two houses with Le Brocq family connections are mentioned by Joan Stevens. These are La Robeline, where Philippe Le Brocq, son of Nicholas, lived with his wife Marie Le Brocq in 1761, and Le Coin Cottage, where Susanne Le Brocq lived with husband Jean Le Feuvre, son of Jean, son of Jean, son of Jacques in 1753. Houses since then identified as having been in Le Brocq ownership include La Fosse and the adjoining properties, in Grantez. These belonged, from as early as 1528, to the family of Pierre Le Brocq, remaining in the family long after their move to St Brelade. Les Châtaigniers is still a Le Brocq property. In St Mary, La Pompe was the home of Elizabeth Le Brocq who married Jean Arthur prior to 1860.

At least one branch of the St Ouen family moved to St Peter in the early 1700s. In that parish, near the boundary with St Mary , Les Augerez House has a stone inscribed PLCT ♥ MLB 1719. Presumably for Philippe Le Couteur and Marguerite Le Brocq. The land here was owned at least since 1668 by Philippe, son of Philippe, son of Clement Le Brocq. Nearer to the Church, at La Croix au Lion, William Le Brocq of St Ouen, who had married in St Peter in 1674, bought in 1680 the property known as The Yews, formerly Les Ifs, where he and his family conducted a wine, grocery and chandlery business for the next five generations, until 1829. His son, also called William, bought further land, amounting to 51 vergèes, which one or other of his descendants farmed until 1866.

St Peter's Rectory has a windowsill inscribed for J P and Jeanne Le Brocq in 1763. Also in this parish is a record of a pew sold to Pierre Le Brocq for ten pounds tournois in 1778 "for as long as he owned La Fontaine" house. Another Pierre, of La Fontaine, presented an ornate silver kettle to the parish in 1870, and his daughter Jeanne married G W Le Feuvre of Les Niesmes. The south wall of St Peter’s Church had until recently a plaque with inscriptions to the Le Brocq family of "The Yews" dating from the mid 1500s. This is now located in the adjoining vestry.

Variants

• Le Brocq, 1668
• Le Brocque 1607
• Le Broc, 1309
• Le Brok 1528
• Le Brogue 1309
• Broc

Family records

Family trees

• Descendants of Pierre Le Brocq (1520)
• Descendants of Benest Le Brocq (1480)
• Descendants of Benest Le Brocq, from a different source and with greater detail
• Descendants of Edouard Le Brocq (1615)
• Descendants of Edward Le Brocq (1801)
• Descendants of Pierre Le Brocq more details added in 2018
• Descendants of Philippe Le Brocq
• Descendants of Elie Le Brocq
• Descendants of William Le Brocq
• Descendants of William Le Brocq (1651)
• Descendants of Pierre Le Brocq (1675)
• Descendants of Philippe Le Brocq - 2 Added 2020
• Descendants of Pierre Le Brocq of La Fontaine Added 2020

Family histories and biographies

• The Le Brocq family, by Roland de Caen
• Charles Le Brocq, emigrant to Australia
• Norman Le Brocq, senator
• Wing-Cdr Richard Le Brocq, ADC to Lieut-Governor
• Jurat Sally Le Brocq and the Guiton family
• William Le Brocq, merchant
• Jean Le Brocq, philanthropist
• An album presented to cattle breeder and dealer Francois Le Brocq in 1905 by his farming colleagues

Church records

Tips for using these links

• Le Brocq baptisms in Jersey
• Le Brocq marriages in Jersey (groom)
• Le Brocq marriages in Jersey (bride)
• Le Brocq burials in Jersey

Newspaper records

• John Le Brocq on committee to examine Constable of St Helier's accounts, and Roads Committee, in 1848
• John Le Brocq appointed St Helier Roads Inspector in 1848
• Frederick La Cloche Nicolle was granted 12 shillings damages by the Royal Court in a dispute with Edward Le Brocq over vraic in 1848

Great War service

• Le Brocq family members who served in World War 1

Family wills

• Le Brocq family wills from 1663 to 1980 held by Jersey Archive

• Le Brocq burial records 1820-1978

Le Brocq arms researched by Julian Wilson

Family homes

• Homestead, Augerez, St Peter
• La Maison Gruchy, St Brelade
• La Valeuse, St Brelade
• Les Potirons, St Mary
• The Yews, St Peter

Emigrant to Canada

• Philip Le Brocq's petition for land in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

Family photograph album

Click on any image to see full-size version

Edward Le Brocq, editor of the Morning News when it resumed publication on 1 July 1946

This wedding is described as that of 'Jack and Flo Bichard'. We think it must have been the 1910 marriage in St Lawrence of John Philip Le Brocq and Florence Bichard. John was a 21-year-old farmer, son of another John, and Florence was the 33-year-old daughter of Jean

Joe Le Brocq

This set of photographs records the extraordinary life of Alan George Le Brocq, always known as 'Joe', who served in the Special Operations Executive of the Army during World War 2 in South Africa and Greece, became landlord of the British Hotel at Trinity, and died tragically young in his 40s.

His nephew Philip Le Brocq recalls his uncle's life:

'Uncle 'Joe' ... The real Hero of the Le Brocq Family ... Major Alan George Le Brocq ... RAC... Having been in the Merchant Navy , with few prospects, got drunk one night, made a decision and joined the Army and having just married Eileen ... Disappeared over night for 4 years ... Recruited to SOE, he was first in South Africa in Intelligence before spending over two years in Greece fighting the Germans as a leader of the local Resistance. He was recommended for the Military Medal, but an incident with some German prisoners who were deliberately slowing down their group cast a shadow. Post-war he returned to his wife, had two daughters and remained in the army before returning to Jersey, becoming Landlord of the British Hotel in Trinity. Having survived the war on his nerves and the local greek brew, the Demon drink was ever present and he died young at just 40 years of age. Now it is treated as PTSD. Then, the family turned their backs on Eileen and his girls and they were forced to move to the UK. I would love to know so much more of this quiet man's secret war. The term Hero is used with ease these days, but this Man was the real deal.

Occupation curfew cards

Curfew pass issued to Edgar Le Brocq during the Occupation as a member of the St Mary Honorary Police ^[1]

Family businesses

• Daniel Le Brocq was a chemist at 16 King Street in the 1880s
• Daniel Le Brocq was a draper at 45a King Street in the 1890s
• Philip Le Brocq was a baker and confectioner at 33 Halkett Place in the 1890s and 1900s
• From 1886 to 1896 Philip Daniel Le Brocq ran a pharmacy at 29 Queen Street

Family gravestones

Click on any image to see a larger version. See the Jerripedia gravestone image collection page for more information about our gravestone photographs

Tips

The church record links above will open in a new tab in your browser and generate the most up-to-date list of each set of records from our database. These lists replace earlier Family page baptism lists, which were not regularly updated. They have the added advantage that they produce a chronological listing for the family name in all parishes, so you do not have to search through A-Z indexes, parish by parish.

We have included some important spelling variants on some family pages, but it may be worth searching for records for a different spelling variant. Think of searching for variants with or without a prefix, such as Le or De. To search for further variants, or for any other family name, just click on the appropriate link below for the first letter of the family name, and a new tab will open, giving you the option to choose baptism, marriage or burial records. You will then see a list of available names for that type of record and you can select any name from that list. That will display all records of the chosen type for that family name, and you can narrow the search by adding a given name, selecting a parish or setting start and end dates in the form you will see above. You can also change the family name, or search for a partial name if you are not certain of the spelling

The records are displayed 30 to a page, but by selecting the yellow Wiki Table option at the top left of the page you can open a full, scrollable list. This list will either be displayed in a new tab or a pop-up window. You may have to edit the settings of your browser to allow pop-up windows for www.jerripediabmd.net. For the small number of family names for which a search generates more than 1,500 records you will have to refine your search (perhaps using start or end dates) to reduce the number of records found.

New records

Since August 2020 we have added several thousand new records from the registers of Roman Catholic, Methodist and other non-conformist churches. These will appear in date order within a general search of the records and are also individually searchable within the database search form

Notes and references

1. ↑ These cards are held by Jersey Archive. Visit The Archive online catalogue for more information. A subscription may be needed to view some of the site's content