Show ContentsLapworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Lapworth name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the parish of Lapworth. Lapworth is a habitation name from the broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Lapworth family

The surname Lapworth was first found in Warwickshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lapworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lapworth research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1588, 1600, 1744, 1842 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Lapworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lapworth Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Lapworth include Lapworth, Lappworth, Lappworthe, Lapworthe and others.

Early Notables of the Lapworth family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Edward Lapworth, a noted physician and Latin poet in the early 1600s


United States Lapworth migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lapworth or a variant listed above:

Lapworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Lapworth, who sailed to Virginia in 1620
  • Michaell Lapworth, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Southampton" 1
  • Robert Lapworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 1
  • Michaell Lapworth to Virginia in 1643

Australia Lapworth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lapworth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Lapworth, (b. 1816), aged 20, English painter and glazier who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1885 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Lapworth (post 1700) +

  • Robert Lapworth (b. 1962), English professional footballer
  • Charles Lapworth (1842-1920), English geologist who suggested the existence of what later was named Lake Lapworth in the Ice Age
  • Charles Lapworth (1908-1942), British socialist activist, journalist and film promoter
  • Arthur Lapworth (1872-1941), Scottish chemist, pioneer of the field of physical organic chemistry, eponym of the Lapworth reaction


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant


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