Laidlay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Laidlay family

The surname Laidlay was first found in Selkirk 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.

Early History of the Laidlay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laidlay research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1590 and 1603 are included under the topic Early Laidlay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laidlay Spelling Variations

The name, Laidlay, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Laidlaw, Laidlay, Laidler, Laidley, Ladlyle and others.

Early Notables of the Laidlay family

More information is included under the topic Early Laidlay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laidlay migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Laidlay surname who came to North America were:

Laidlay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Laidlay, a Scotch-Irish immigrant to New England in 1718
James Laidlay, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718

Contemporary Notables of the name Laidlay (post 1700) +

John Watson Laidlay FRSE (1808-1885), Scottish merchant, numismatist and orientalist from Glasgow, son of John Laidlay Esq. Of Fleetwood in Lancashire
John Ernest Laidlay (1860-1940), Scottish amateur golfer who invented the Overlapping grip, used by over 90% of the golfers today; he also played one match for the Scotland national cricket team in 1878
Jessie Laidlay Weston (1850-1928), British independent scholar, medievalist and folklorist, working mainly on mediaeval Arthurian texts