Two other places are located in Derbyshire which are derived from the Old English col, meaning "coal" (in reference to charcoal).
Another place is located near London, which can has two possible derivations: the first is from the Old English cofa, meaning "shelter" or "bay"; the second possibility is that this place name is derived from the Old English personal name Cofa.
[1] The surname Cowley can also be of Manx language origin, where it has the same meaning as that of Irish, and has a variant, Kewley.
The ten families bore the surnames Archdekin, Archer, Cowley, Knaresborough, Langton, Lawless, Ley, Ragget, Rothe, and Shee.
Of the ten, only the Shees were considered to be of Irish ancestry; the nine others, including the Cowleys, were of English origin.