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The name Leelant belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in Leyland, in Lancashire. The place-name Leyland is derived from the Old English elements læge and land, and means "untilled land." 1 It was recorded as Lailand in the Domesday Book, 2 compiled in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. The family name is derived from the place-name and means "dweller by the uncultivated land."
The surname Leelant was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. There are actually two parishes in Lancashire bearing the name Layland or Leyland. "The Lancashire Leyland was Leylaund, Leylond, Leyland, Laylond, Lelarid in the 13th century." 3
The first record of the family was actually found in neighbouring Yorkshire when Johannes Leyland was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4
Leyland Motors Limited, the British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses was based in Leyland, Lancashire. Founded in 1896, the original company is now defunct.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leelant research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1503, 1552, 1670, 1679, 1691 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Leelant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Leelant include Leyland, Leland, Lelland, Leeland, Lealand and others.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leelant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Leelant were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Christopher Leland, who settled in Barbados with his servants in 1680; John Leyland, who arrived in Virginia in 1698; Adam Leland, who settled in Boston in 1715.