| ![Show Contents]() Leggat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Leggat is derived from the Middle English and Old French word "legat," and the Latin legatus 1 meaning "ambassador, deputy." 2 "Often a pageantname. In 1377, in the procession for the entertainment of Richard, the young son of the Black Prince, was ‘one stately attired like a pope, whom followed twenty-four cardinals, and after them eight or ten with black visors, not amiable, as if they had been legates from some foreign prince’ " 3 Early Origins of the Leggat familyThe surname Leggat was first found in Somerset where the Latin entry Hugolinus Legatus was recorded in 1084, two years before the Domesday Book of 1086. However, another source explores this previous entry in more detail. "At the date of the Domesday Survey, Hervey Legatus was a tenant in capite in co. Bucks, and Richard Legatus had the same tenure in co. Gloucester." 1 Peter Legat was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Cornwall in 1199 and later, Ralph le Legat was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279. Richard Leget was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Geoffrey le Legat, Devon; Robert Legat, Cambridgeshire; and Thomas Legat, Norfolk. 2 Hugh Legat (fl. 1400), was a Benedictine, a native of Hertfordshire, was not improbably a member of the family which held a manor at Abbots Walden in that county, belonging to the monks of St. Albans. Bale says that Hugh Legat was brought up in the monastery school at St. Albans, displayed a strong love for learning, and went with the abbots leave to pursue his studies at Oxford, where, in the Benedictine hostelry of Gloucester Hall, St. Albans, like other abbeys of its order, had a house for its own scholars. 4 In Scotland, "Adam Legate who rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the bailies of Stirling in 1406 appears again in 1412 as burgess of the town. Walter Leget or Legat of Scotland had safe conducts into England in 1421-1422, and Master John Legat had a safe conduct to pass to Rome in 1448. Thomas Legat of Tayn witnessed a notarial instrument, 1477." 5 Early History of the Leggat familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leggat research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, 1412, 1540, 1549, 1574, 1575, 1586, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1591, 1597, 1602, 1604, 1608, 1609, 1611, 1612, 1620, 1635, 1651, 1660, 1668, 1669, 1670, 1671, 1672, 1676, 1685, 1693, 1708, 1710, 1715, 1716, 1730, 1755, 1780, 1797, 1809 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Leggat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Leggat Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Legat, Leggat, Leggatt, Leggate, Legatt, Legget, Liggat, Ligget, Liggett and many more. Early Notables of the Leggat familyNotable among the family at this time was Helming Leget (died 1412), of Tottenham, Middlesex and Black Notley, Essex, an English politician, appointed Sheriff, Essex and Hertfordshire for...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leggat Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Leggat family to Ireland
Some of the Leggat family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Leggat migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Leggat Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Prudence Leggat, who landed in America in 1654-1679 6
Leggat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- John Leggat, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1785 6
Leggat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Walter Leggat, who landed in New Jersey in 1830 6
- William Leggat, who arrived in New York in 1830 6
| Leggat migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Leggat Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Patrick Leggat, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
| Leggat migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7Leggat Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Prudence Leggat, who settled in Barbados in 1654
| Contemporary Notables of the name Leggat (post 1700) | + |
- Graham Leggat (1934-2015), Scottish international football player who played from 1953 to 1971, managed the Toronto Metros from 1971-1972 and played for the Scotland National Teams from 1954 to 1960
- Ian Bruce Leggat (b. 1930), former New Zealand cricketer
- Ashley Margaret Anne Leggat (b. 1986), Canadian actress, singer, and dancer
- Brigadier Walter Creighton Leggat (1912-1992), Commanding Officer 2nd Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery (1944-1945) 8
- John Gordon Leggat (1926-1973), New Zealand cricketer
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: Jesus hominum salvatore
Motto Translation: Jesus. The savior of mankind.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, September 27) Walter Leggat. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Leggat/Walter_Creighton/Canada.html
|
Leggat migration to the United States 
Leggat migration to Australia 
Leggat migration to West Indies 
Scotland
Ireland
England
