Liberty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Liberty 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 Liberty family

The surname Liberty 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 Liberty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Liberty 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 Liberty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Liberty 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 Liberty has appeared include Leadbetter, Leadbater, Leadbeater, Leadbeter, Leadbetter, Leadbitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Liberty family

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

Liberty Ranking

In the United States, the name Liberty is the 13,471^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Liberty 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 Liberty arrived in North America very early:

Liberty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Amy Liberty, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1719 7

Liberty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Liberty, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Liberty (post 1700) +

Liberty Godshall, American producer known for her work on Once and Again (1999), thirtysomething (1987) and Special Bulletin (1983)
Liberty DeVitto (b. 1950), best known as Billy Joel's longtime drummer, he has also appeared as a session drummer on recordings for a variety of other artists
Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954), American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Liberty DeVitto (b. 1950), American musician, best known as Billy Joel's longtime drummer
Liberty Emery Holden (1833-1913), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1888, 1896 8
Liberty Bartlett, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 2nd District, 1868 9

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html