1) The stump of a tree; the part left standing when a tree has been felled.
It occurs commonly as a place-name element, some of them dating from the twelfth century. It was used as a prefix, e.g. Stockbridge, Stockwell, and as a suffix, e.g. Hagstock. Several such localities were minor settlements, close to or in woodland clearances, whereas others such as Stockbridge and Stockwell more probably point to the use of timber in the construction of bridges, floodgates, wells, and the like.
2) In connection with bees it was usually a swarm but it may occasionally have been a reference to the hive or a wooden block on which the hive was placed.
1500 to my parish kirke on old stok of bees with a swarm, Bishopthorpe
1600 I geve to Anne ... one old winter stocke of bees, Knaresborough.
3) A term found in the inventories of clothiers which referred to card stocks and comb stocks, and dealt with under those headwords.
The will of John Haigh of Binn in Marsden has: 1697 Item stocke Cardes and Litel Cards and paire of Lomes.