Delacy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Delacy comes from the place name Lassi, in the department of Calvados in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Delacy family

The surname Delacy was first found in Yorkshire, where Ibert de Lacy, son of Walter de Lacy (Lacie) was granted the castle and town of Pontefract and 164 lordships by William the Conqueror. Walter de Lacie (d. 1085) was one of the commanders that William the Conqueror "sent to Wales to subjugate the principality; and being victorious, he acquired large possessions there, in addition to those already obtained, as his portion of the spoil of Hastings. " 1

"His lands had been assigned to him in the West, where he held territory - to what exact extent is not known - under William Fitz Osbern, the first Norman Earl of Hereford; and upon the rebellion of William's son, Earl Roger de Britolio, the whole vast fief was conferred upon him by the Conqueror. He waged war successfully with the Welsh, defeating three of their princes with great slaughter in Brecon; and was killed in 1085 by a fall from a ladder while inspecting a new church he had founded at Hereford. " 2

Roger de Laci who also accompanied the Conqueror was rewarded with the tenure in capite of 116 lordships. It is presumed that the two were related but the relationship is unknown. 3

Rishton in Yorkshire was the place where a manor was held by Edmund de Lacye, who died 42nd Henry III. 4

There were at least two listings of the name in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Robertus Lascey; and Isabella Lassy. 5

Stanlow-House in the union of Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred of Wirrall in Cheshire was an ancient family seat to one branch of the family. "An abbey of Cistercian monks was founded here in 1178, by John Lacy, constable of Chester; but on account of the inundations of the Mersey in 1296, it was removed to Whalley, in Lancashire." 4

Early History of the Delacy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delacy research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1172, 1185, 1215, 1298, 1584, 1610, 1615, 1671, 1673 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Delacy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delacy Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Lacey, Lacy, Lassey, Lassy, de Lacey, de Lacy and others.

Early Notables of the Delacy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who was recorded on the Falkirk Roll. The roll lists those who fought at Falkirk in 1298, when the forces of Edward I defeated William Wallace's Scottish army. Henry was a close counsellor of Edward I and Edward II, and his house in London gave its name to...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Delacy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delacy migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Delacy or a variant listed above:

Delacy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G H Delacy, who landed in Arkansas in 1881 6

Delacy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Delacy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Corbert deLacy, Welsh settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Royal Albert" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 6th March 1853 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Delacy (post 1700) +

Captain Patrick DeLacy (1835-1915), American soldier who fought in the American Civil War who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of the Wilderness
Keith Ernest De Lacy AM (1940-2021), Australian politician and businessman, 41st Treasurer of Queensland (1989-1996), Minister for Regional Development (1989-1990)
Joel Delacy (b. 1956), Australian-born, Hong Kong broadcaster
Hector "Hec" DeLacy (b. 1940), leading Australian rules football writer in the 1940s, inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame (1996)

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html