Lathbridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Lathbridge

What does the name Lathbridge mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Lathbridge come from when the family resided in the village of Lethbridge located in the county of Devon. 1

Early Origins of the Lathbridge family

The surname Lathbridge was first found in Devon where one of the first records of the family was John Lethybrydge (c. 1580-1660) who is generally thought to the progenitor from Holbeton, Devon. His son, John Lethybrydge (c. 1616-1686) married Joan Leight on 1st May 1637 in Ermington, Devon and together they had five children.

"Christopher Lethbridge, mayor of Exeter in 1660, was a wealthy merchant of that city; he was born at Walston, in the parish of Clansburgh, near Okehampton. Lethbridge is still an Exeter name." 2

The Lethbridge Baronetcy, of Westaway House in Devon and Winkley Court in the County of Somerset, a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom was created on 15 June 1804 for John Lethbridge, who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Minehead in Somerset, from 1806 to 1807.

Early History of the Lathbridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lathbridge research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1675, 1715, 1759 and 1803 are included under the topic Early Lathbridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lathbridge Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Lathbridge has been recorded under many different variations, including Lethbridge, Lethbrige, Letbridge, Letteridge and others.

Early Notables of the Lathbridge family

John Lethbridge (1675-1759) English inventor of the first underwater diving machine in 1715. He lived in Devon and reportedly had 17 children. He is the subject of the Fisherman's Friends song "John in the Barrel". He was a wool merchant based in Newton Abbot who invented a diving machine in 1715 that was used to salvage valuables from wrecks. This machine...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lathbridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lathbridge family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lathbridge or a variant listed above: Samuel Letteridge, who settled in Virginia in 1767; George Lethbridge settled in Philadelphia in 1820.

The Lathbridge Motto +

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: Spes mea in Deo
Motto Translation: My hope is in God.

Sources +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.