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Leadbeater History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Leadbeater History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Leadbeater is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a worker in lead. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English words lead and beatere, meaning literally "he who beats lead." 1

"In old times, before the process of rolling that metal into sheets by machinery was employed, it was laminated by the laborious manual operation of hammering; and as most churches and other large buildings were roofed with this material, the occupation of the lead-beater was a very common and necessary one." 2

Metallurgy was not an advanced art in the Middle Ages; the metal in modern cutlery is far harder and has more resiliency than that in the best sword in medieval times. It was a common sight during a battle in the early Middle Ages to see a soldier hit someone with a sword, then put it on the ground and step on it to straighten out the bend it had just acquired. Lead was a popular metal to work with thanks to its malleability, making it easy to work. Of course, its toxic properties were not known; in fact, its sweet taste led to its use in antiquity as a condiment in some places, though usually not for long. Lead was commonly found in jewelry as a metal mixed with gold, and in pewter, an amalgam of lead and tin, used for drinking cups and cutlery. This made the occupation of leadbeater an important one in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Leadbeater family

The surname Leadbeater was first found in Warwickshire where Ingald Ledbater was recorded in the Assize Rolls for 1221. A few years later, Walter Ledbeter, le Ledbetere was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1256. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Gonnilda le Ledbetere, Buckinghamshire and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Ricardus Ledebatter; and Robertus Ledebeter. 4

As an occupational name, we should not be surprised to find the name as far north as Scotland. "Walter Ledbeter of Heydon was before an assize at Newcastle-on-Tyne on suspicion of robbery in Scotland in 1256. Thomas Ledbeter was custumar and provost of Linlithgow in 1328 and following years. Alexander Leadbetter, merchant in Kelso, 1831." 5

Early History of the Leadbeater family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leadbeater research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1250, 1328, 1561, 1562, 1669, 1702 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Leadbeater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leadbeater Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Leadbeater has appeared include Leadbetter, Leadbater, Leadbeater, Leadbeter, Leadbetter, Leadbitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Leadbeater family

More information is included under the topic Early Leadbeater Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leadbeater migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Leadbeater arrived in North America very early:

Leadbeater Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Leadbeater, who settled in Annapolis in 1725
John Leadbeater, who arrived in Florida in 1773 6

Leadbeater Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Albert Leadbeater, who settled in Philadelphia in 1848
Joshua Leadbeater, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 6
S L Leadbeater, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 6

Leadbeater Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Leadbeater, aged 15, who immigrated to the United States from Cannock Staffordshire, in 1904
Annie Leadbeater, aged 26, who settled in America from London, in 1904
Eliza Leadbeater, aged 8, who settled in America from Cannock Staffordshire, in 1904
Ellen Leadbeater, aged 1, who landed in America from Cannock Staffordshire, in 1904
Florence Leadbeater, aged 11, who immigrated to America from Cannock Staffordshire, in 1904
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Leadbeater migration to Australia +

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

Leadbeater Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Leadbeater, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Benjamin Leadbeater, British Convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Leadbeater, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. James Leadbeater who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Thomas Leadbeater, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Leadbeater (post 1700) +

Edric "Eddie" Leadbeater (b. 1927), English former cricketer
John Leadbeater, Australian taxidermist at the Museum of Victoria, eponym of the endangered Leadbeater's Possum in 1867
Benjamin Leadbeater (1760-1837), British naturalist, eponym of Leadbeater's Cockatoo
Charles "Charlie" Leadbeater, British author and former advisor to Tony Blair
Mary Leadbeater (1758-1826), Irish author
Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934), British clergyman, occultist, and author who played a prominent part in the Theosophical Society

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim