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Langhester is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Langhester family lived in the city of Lancaster, in Lancashire.
The surname Langhester was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Constables of Lancaster Castle from very ancient times. One of the first records of the family was found in Litherland, one of the ancient manors of Aughton. "About the middle of the twelfth century it was granted to Warin de Lancaster, chief forester, by the serjeanty of keeping the lord's falcons." 1
The chapelry of Milburn, Westmorland is also of significance to the family in early times. "The chapel, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, was founded by William de Lancaster, about 1355. Many vestiges of encampments are visible. Howgill Castle, formerly the seat of the knightly families of Lancaster and Sandford, and which, with Grange Hall and Lownthwaite, belongs to the Earl of Thanet, lord of the manor, occupies a commanding situation, half a mile east of the village; some of its walls are 10½ feet thick." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langhester research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1068, 1070, 1114, 1150, 1334, 1618, 1650 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Langhester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancester, Lancoster, Lancastell and many more.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Langhester Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Langhester or a variant listed above: Gowen Lancaster arrived in Virginia in 1635; Phillip Lancaster arrived in Barbados in 1680 with his servants; William Lancaster settled in Barbados in 1668.