Leacok History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient roots of the Leacok family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Leacok comes from when the family lived in the village of Laycock in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 The surname was originally derived from the Old English words leah cocc, which refers to the meadow with the wild birds. 2

Another Laycock is a parish, in the union and hundred of Chippenham, Chippenham and Calne in Wiltshire. 3 4

Lacock is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 5 and Lacock Abbey was founded on the manorial lands by Ela, Countess of Salisbury in 1232. The name can be derived from Lacoc; or from the French, Lecocq; a personal name. 6

Early Origins of the Leacok family

The surname Leacok was first found in Laycock, now a a suburb of the town of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The first record of the family dates back to the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 where Johanna Lakkoc; Johannes de Laccok; and Thomas de Lacokke were each listed. 7

Because of the proximity to the Scottish border, records in Scotland were found as early as 1492 when William Laicok was vicar of Retre (Rattray.) Later John Lacok canon of Dunkeld, was auditor of accounts of the bishopric between 1505 and 1517. 1

Early History of the Leacok family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leacok research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1685, 1812, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1839, 1840 and 1876 are included under the topic Early Leacok History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leacok 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 Leacok has appeared include Lacock, Laycock, Leacock and others.

Early Notables of the Leacok family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Laycock (1812-1876), English mental physiologist, born at Wetherby in the West Kiding of Yorkshire in 1812 and was educated at the Wesleyan academy, Woodhouse Grove, and at University College, London. He studied anatomy and physiology under Lisfranc and Velpeau at Paris during 1834, became M.R.C.S. in 1835, contributed in 1837 a valuable paper on 'The Acid and Alkaline Reactions of the Saliva' to the 'London Medical Gazette.' and graduated M.D. at Gottingen, 'summa cum laude.' in 1839. Laycock had already begun to specialise upon the relations existing between the nervous system and...
Another 135 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leacok Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Leacok family

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 Leacok arrived in North America very early: Robert Laycock arrived in Barbados in 1635; Adam, David, Hugh, James, John, Martha, and William Laycock all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..

The Leacok Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Verus honor honestas
Motto Translation: Truth, honour and honesty.

Citations +

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)
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.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)