Lawder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the surname Lawder were thought to have been a Boernician family in ancient Scotland. They lived in Berwickshire, where they took their name from the lands of Lauder, first granted to them by King Malcolm Ceanmore about 1057 AD. "This place, of which the name, in the Celtic language, is descriptive of its situation in the valley of the Leader [River], was granted in the early part of the 12th century, by David I." 1

Another source claims the name was from Lauder (Lowther) meaning famous warrior. 2

Early Origins of the Lawder family

The surname Lawder was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where Robert Lauder was the first Chief of the Clan. His successor Sir Robert de Lauedre, witnessed a charter by John de Mautelent to the Abbey of Dryburgh at an undetermined date some time in the early to mid 13th century. "Bass Isle in the parish of North Berwick, county of Haddington was an ancient possession of the family of Lawder, and was purchased, in 1671, by Charles II." 1

Early record show: "Robert de Lavedre is said to have obtained lands in Berwickshire from Malcolm Canmore. Sir Robert de Lauedre witnessed a charter by John de Mautelent to the Abbey of Dryburgh (Dryburgh), and William de Lawedre appears as sheriff of Perthshire in reign of Alexander III. As early as 1297 the Lauders were possessors of the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth. Robert de Lauueder, who had a charter of the lands of Colden in barony of Dalkeith, 1316, may be Robert de Loweder, justiciar of Lothian, 1327-1331. Another Robert de Lawdre was one of the borowis for the earl of Douglas's bounds on the Middle March, 1398." 3

Early History of the Lawder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lawder research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1239, 1315, 1333, 1388, 1413, 1420, 1425, 1426, 1445, 1451, 1465, 1477, 1478, 1480, 1498, 1550, 1595, 1646, 1669, 1692, 1698, 1699, 1701, 1702, 1714, 1722, 1728, 1730 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Lawder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawder Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries and printing presses went into use in the last few hundred years, spelling, particularly of names, was a largely intuitive matter. Consequently, many spelling variations occur in even the simplest names from the Middle Ages. Lawder has been spelled Lauder, Laudor, Lawder, Lawther, Leather, Lauther and others.

Early Notables of the Lawder family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Sir John Lauder, 1st Baronet, of Newington and Fountainhall (1595-1692), Scottish baillie and Treasurer of the City of Edinburgh; Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall (1646-1722), one of Scotland's leading jurists; Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lawder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lawder family to Ireland

Some of the Lawder family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawder migration to the United States +

The east coasts of the United States and Canada are still populated by many of the descendents of the Boernician-Scottish families who made that great crossing. They distributed themselves evenly when they first arrived, but at the time of the War of Independence those who remained loyal to England went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. This century, many of their ancestors have recovered their past heritage through highland games and other Scottish functions in North America. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that many immigrants bearing the name Lawder or a variant listed above:

Lawder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Lawder, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 4

Lawder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Lawder, who landed in Maryland in 1716 4

The Lawder Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Repullulat
Motto Translation: It buds afresh.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)