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Origins Available: |
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The name Levedent came to England with the ancestors of the Levedent family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old English given name Loveday and the Old English given name Leofdoeg, which is composed of the elements leof, which means dear or beloved, and doeg, which means day. This name was also a nickname for a person who had an association with a loveday which, according to medieval custom, a loveday was a day set aside for reconciliation and settlement of disputes or feuds. Another source claims the name was in fact, Norman "from Loveday, or Loudet [in] Toulouse. William Loveday was a benefactor to the Knights Templars. " 1
The surname Levedent was first found in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire where Walter Loveday and Richard Loveday were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. In 1297, William Loveday, of Oxfordshire received a writ of military summons. 1
Years later, Ralph Loveday was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1331 and Hugo Lofdey was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levedent research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1546, 1547, 1553, 1554, 1555, 1556 and 1558 are included under the topic Early Levedent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Levedent family name include Loveday, Loveden, Lovedon and others.
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Levedent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Levedent family to immigrate North America: Thomas Loveday, who settled in Barbados in 1686; Francis Loveday settled in Virginia in 1653; Joseph Loveday settled in New England in 1772; Mary Loveday settled in Maryland in 1772..