Loughyers History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe name Loughyers comes from one of the family having worked as a person who was a locksmith. 1 Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly common in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith, and wright. "It is interesting to notice that while Lockyer has predominated over Locksmith in our personal nomenclature, yet locksmith has nearly ousted lockyer as an occupative term." 2 Early Origins of the Loughyers familyThe surname Loughyers was first found in Somerset, where Kirby's Quest listed some of the first entries for the family: Nicholas le Lokyere; and Lucas le Lokier as both residing there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 3 And this tradition continued through the years as the Register of the University of Oxford lists William Lokier from Somerset in 1604. 2 London had early records for the family too as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Henry le Lockier there at that time. 4 Early History of the Loughyers familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loughyers research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1294, 1611, 1685, 1698 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Loughyers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Loughyers 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 Loughyers have been found, including: Lockyer, Lockyers, Lockier, Lokier, Locker, Lockweer and many more. Early Notables of the Loughyers familyAnother 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Loughyers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Loughyers 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. Among the first immigrants of the name Loughyers, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were : George Lockyear, who settled in Virginia in 1663; Thomas Lockyer, who came to Virginia in 1663; and Jacob and Barbara Lockyer, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1766..
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