In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the lasenby surname lived in Lazonby, in Cumberland, or in Lazenby, in Yorkshire. The place-name Lazenby and Lazonby have the same etymology. They are derived from the Old Scandinavian words leysingi, which meant "freed men," and by, which meant farm or enclosure. The place-name as a whole means "farm of the freed men." It is possible that the name is derived from the old Scandinavian personal name Leysingr. The Scandinavians have had a lasting impact on the north of England, thanks to the waves of pillage, invasion and colonization which started in the eighth and 9th centuries and ended in the 10th. There are many place-names in the north of England which have Norse and Scandinavian elements.
The surname lasenby was first found in Yorkshire at Lazenby (Lazonby), which dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Lesingebi [1] and was in "the land of the King in Yorkshire." Lazonby is a parish, in the union of Penrith in Cumberland on the west bank of the river Eden. A Roman road passes from north to south, and another intersects the parish in a direction towards Salkeld Gate. At Castle Rigg are the ruins of a moated building. There are also several cairns in the area. [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our lasenby research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1632 and 1701 are included under the topic Early lasenby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like lasenby are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name lasenby include: Lazenby, Lazinby, Lasynbi, Laysynby, Lasinby and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early lasenby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.