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![Show Contents]() Leyver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Leyver has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the township of Great Lever in Lancashire as well as in Little Lever the chapelry in the parish of Bolton in Lancashire. The Leyver family were industrialists and millers, perhaps giving rise to the modern city of Liverpool, from their own Leaver's Port. Early Origins of the Leyver familyThe surname Leyver was first found in Lancashire at Little Lever, now a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester. Great Lever, a township nearby "was long held by the family of Lever, but in the 6th year of Edward IV., Sir Rauff Assheton, Knt., sued out a 'write of right of warde' against Roger Lever, for the recovery of the manor, and obtained judgment against him at the assizes of Lancaster. Lever, however, with a number of dependants of his name, and a large concourse of persons, many of whom had been outlawed, riotously broke into Lancaster Castle, and carried off the record of recovery. Sir Rauff complaining of this outrage to the two houses of parliament, they ordained that the copy of the record which was annexed to his petition should be of the same force and efficacy as the original; and the justices thereupon ordered execution to issue, and reinstated him in the possession, which, notwithstanding, was not undisturbed until some time after. " 1 The village's name was derived from the Old English word "laefre," which means "place where the rushes grow." 2 The first listing of the place name was found in 1212 when it was listed as Parua Lefre. 2 Nearby is Darcy Lever which was the ancestral home of the D'Arcy family since 1590. Early History of the Leyver familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leyver research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1551, 1553 and 1577 are included under the topic Early Leyver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Leyver Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Leyver have been found, including Lever, Leaver, Leyver and others. Early Notables of the Leyver familyAnother 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leyver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Leyver familyFamilies began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Leyver, or a variant listed above: Ashton Lever and James Lever, who settled in Maryland in 1775; Adam, James, John, Lawrence, and William Lever, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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