Contents [hide]

Lofthouse History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Lofthouse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Lofthouse first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the village of Lofthouse during the reign of King Alfred in 900 AD. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norse words lopt meaning loft and hus meaning house. Therefore the original bearers of the Lofthouse surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1

Early Origins of the Lofthouse family

The surname Lofthouse was first found in North Yorkshire at Lofthouse, a small village in Nidderdale in the Harrogate district or at Lofthouse, a village in West Yorkshire. "This place, in the Domesday Survey Lochtushum, was granted by the Conqueror to Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who soon afterwards transferred it to the Percy family, of whom William de Percy, the third Baron, in 1133 founded at Handall, in the parish, a priory for Benedictine nuns, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary." 2

Early History of the Lofthouse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lofthouse research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1573, 1605, 1619, 1620, 1639, 1647, 1691, 1695 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Lofthouse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lofthouse 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 Lofthouse has appeared include Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others.

Early Notables of the Lofthouse family

Distinguished members of the family include

Robert Lofthus of Lofthouse

Migration of the Lofthouse family to Ireland

Some of the Lofthouse family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lofthouse 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 Lofthouse arrived in North America very early:

Lofthouse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margarett Lofthouse, who landed in Maryland in 1678 3

Lofthouse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Lofthouse, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 3
John Lofthouse, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1878
I. Lofthouse, aged 29, who landed in America from England, in 1892
Horace Lofthouse, aged 3, who immigrated to America, in 1893

Lofthouse Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Sarah H. Lofthouse, aged 33, who landed in America from Radcliffe, England in 1903
Haydel Lofthouse, aged 24, who landed in America from London, in 1905
Elizabeth Lofthouse, aged 39, who settled in America from Bradford, England in 1906
Annie Lofthouse, aged 16, who landed in America from Bradford, England in 1906
Stanley Lofthouse, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States from Bradford, England in 1906
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lofthouse migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lofthouse Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

H Lofthouse, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Lofthouse migration to Australia +

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

Lofthouse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Lofthouse, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Lofthouse (post 1700) +

James Lofthouse, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 16th District, 1922, 1924 5
James Lofthouse (b. 1886), English footballer
Joseph Morris "Joe" Lofthouse (1865-1919), English footballer
Nathaniel "Nat" Lofthouse OBE (1925-2011), English professional footballer
Joy Lofthouse (1923-2017), British pilot, one of the first women to fly a Spitfire
Joseph Lofthouse Jr. (1880-1962), Canadian Anglican bishop
Reverend Joseph J. Lofthouse Sr. (1855-1933), Canadian Anglican bishop of Keewatin in the late 1800's
Andrew Lofthouse, Australian television and radio newsreader in Brisbane
Mark Allen Lofthouse (b. 1957), former Canadian WHA and NHL ice hockey player
Geoffrey "Geoff" Lofthouse JP (b. 1925), Baron Lofthouse of Pontefract, British Labour politician

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html