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The name Lorch arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a bowman or archer. The surname Lorch was originally derived from the Old French word archer, and the preposition le, which means the, which is abbreviated to l' when placed next to a vowel, as in l'archer.
The surname Lorch was first found in Derbyshire and Nottingham, where they were granted lands by King William, Duke of Normandy, for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. William L'Archairus, was General of bowmen for Duke William, and he was granted the Hundred of Sunburne in Hampshire in the year 1086. He was so recorded in the Domesday Book. Both William L'Archer and his son were, according to Barlow, and his "Peerage of England," at the Conquest.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lorch research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1778 is included under the topic Early Lorch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Larcher, Lercher, Lurcher, Larchier and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Lorch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Lorch or a variant listed above: