Lassell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Lassell is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Lassell family lived in the village of Lacella in the French region of Orne, where they were titled the Barons of Messie.

"William de Lacelles, who in 1165 held two fees in Yorkshire, was plaintiff in a suit against his uncle Ralph for Lacelle and the barony of Messie, which Ralph inherited to him as an inheritance." 1

"This Norman adventurer seems to have been requited for his services by grants in the Northern Counties, particularly in Yorkshire, where his descendants were seated at a very early period." 2

Early Origins of the Lassell family

The surname Lassell was first found in Yorkshire, where the family was "a family of ancient standing in this county, descended from John de Laselles, of Hinderskelfe, now called Castle Howard, in the wapentake of Bulmer, in the North riding, living in the ninth year of Edward II. For seven generations immediately following they were called 'Lascelles alias Jackson.' " 3

Sowerby in the North Riding of Yorkshire was an early home to some of the family. "This place, at an early period, was the property of the Lascelles family, who in the reign of Elizabeth granted it to the Meynells, whose descendant Thomas Meynell, Esq., is now lord of the manor." 4

"Roger de Lascelles is mentioned in 1131 as one of the 'men' of Earl of Stephen of Richmond, and held Scruton and Kirby in the North Riding [of Yorkshire]." 5

Early History of the Lassell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lassell research. Another 349 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1165, 1273, 1295, 1380, 1574, 1603, 1612, 1624, 1647, 1655, 1658, 1665, 1667, 1668, 1690, 1713, 1719, 1734, 1737, 1745, 1753 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Lassell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lassell Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Lascelles, Lassells, Lascell, Lassell, Lasselle, Lasell, Laselle, Lascelle, Lasceles, Lacelles, Lassels, Lacelles, Lacells, Lascells, Lasselis, Lescellis, Lessels and many more.

Early Notables of the Lassell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Lascelles (Lassells) (ca.1624-1658), English officer in the Commonwealth's army and a landowner
Thomas Lascelles (Lascelles and Lassells) (c.1624-c.1658), an officer in the Commonwealth's army and a landowner

Migration of the Lassell family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Lassell name or one of its variants: Henry Lascelles, who sailed to Georgia in 1735; W. Lascelles, who immigrated to Nova Scotia in 1749; Eliz Laswell, who arrived in New York in 1821 with her eight children, Agnes Lascelles, who settled in New Brunswick in 1825.

Contemporary Notables of the name Lassell (post 1700) +

Michael Lassell (b. 1947), American professional writer and editor from New York City
William Lassell (1799-1880), English astronomer who discovered Triton, the largest moon of Neptune, and Ariel and Umbriel, two moons of Uranus, eponym of the Lassell lunar and Mars craters, a ring of Neptune and Mount Lassell, Antarctica

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 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