This unusual name has an almost equally strange origin. It derives from the locational descriptive wording 'de la cott' - a mixture of the Olde English pre 7th Century 'cot' meaning house or cottage, and the French influenced 'de la' of the post Norman Invasion (1066) period. Perhaps not surprisingly a wide range of alternative spellings have developed possibly because if such a place as 'Delacott' existed this does not seem to be so now. The name development includes Nathaniel Delacote of Cripplegate, London (1694), Henry Dallicoat who married Mary Poole at St. Dionis Backchurch, London on August 21st 1739 whilst on July 13th 1794, the Lancashire variant Dilicate is recorded at St. Marys Church, Oldham, and on December 3rd 1854, Sarah Dillicate married Richard Wood at St. Nicholas Church, Liverpool. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Delecot, which was dated June 22nd 1623, a witness at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Fish Street, London, during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.