Show ContentsLeatherdale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Leatherdale sprang from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Lathbury near Newport. Leatherdale is a habitation name from the broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Leatherdale family

The surname Leatherdale was first found in Buckinghamshire at Lathbury, a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, in the union of Newport-Pagnell, hundred of Newport. This parish which is almost surrounded by the river Ouse, comprises about 1,200 acres. The place dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Lateberie and literally meant "fortification built with laths or beams" having derived from the Old English words laett + burh. 1

There is a grand manor house which dates back to at least 1272. Later, some of the family were found at Egginton in Derbyshire. "The manor [of Egginton] afterwards vested in the family of Lathbury, of whom a coheiress brought a moiety to the Leighs; and on the death of Sir Henry Leigh in the reign of James I., the estate passed to his daughter Anne." 2

Early History of the Leatherdale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leatherdale research. Another 224 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1093, 1153, 1273, 1510, 1537, 1578, 1579, 1600, 1609 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Leatherdale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leatherdale Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Leatherdale include Lathbury, Lathebury, Lathbiry, Lathebyr, Lathebyre, Lathburye, Lathburie and many more.

Early Notables of the Leatherdale family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leatherdale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Leatherdale migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Leatherdale Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Leatherdale, (b. 1830), aged 30, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Leatherdale (post 1700) +

  • David Antony Leatherdale (b. 1967), former English cricketer who played county cricket for Worcestershire
  • Marcus Leatherdale (1952-2022), Canadian photographer from Montreal, known for his portraits of Madonna, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Winston Tong and Divine, Trisha Brown and many more
  • Paul Henry Francis Leatherdale (b. 1958), British gold, silver and bronze medalist sports shooter from Ely, Cambridgeshire


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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