Lawles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Lawles is derived from the Old English word "laweles," which means "lawless" and is ultimately derived from the Old English word "laghles," which means "outlaw." 1 As a surname, it may have come from a nickname for a person who was an outlaw, or was uncontrolled or unrestrained.

The name could have also been derived from the Old English words lufu ‘love’ and -leas ‘free from, without’, ‘loveless’. 1 Lawless is an extension of Lovelace. 2

Early Origins of the Lawles family

The surname Lawles was first found in Somerset where Edith Luvelece was found in the Assize Rolls for 1243. A few years later in Kent, William Luuelaz was registered c. 1250. John Loveles was a Freeman of Leicestershire in 1251 and Albricus Loveles was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Suffolk. Richard Lovelas was registered in Kent in 1344 as was John Lovelace in 1367. Thomas Lagheles, was listed in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1360. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls also include Albricus Loveles, Suffolk and Sarra Loveles, Huntingdonshire. 3 Robert Lovelisse from Berkshire was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford for 1587.

Early History of the Lawles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lawles research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1367, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1561, 1562, 1568, 1572, 1574, 1577, 1599, 1616, 1618, 1627, 1634, 1638, 1650, 1658, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1670, 1675, 1693, 1734, 1735, 1754, 1773, 1789, 1799, 1837, 1853, 1861 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lawles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawles Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Lawles family name include Lawless, Lawlesse, Lawles, Lovelace, Loveless and others.

Early Notables of the Lawles family

Distinguished members of the family include

Nicholas Lawless (1735-1799), created 1st Baron Cloncurry in the Peerage of Ireland, in 1789. John Lawless (1773-1837), Irish agitator, commonly known as 'Honest Jack Lawless,' born in 1773, was the e...
Matthew James Lawless (1837-1861), Irish artist, a son of Barry Lawless, solicitor, of Dublin, was born near that city in 1837. He was sent to school at Prior Pack College, near Bath; but his educatio...
Valentine Browne Lawless, Lord Cloncurry (1773-1853), only surviving son of Nicholas, first lord Cloncurry, and Margaret, only child and heiress of Valentine Browne of Mount Browne, co. Limerick, a we...

Migration of the Lawles family to Ireland

Some of the Lawles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lawles family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Lawles surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Lawless who settled in Virginia in 1739; Daniel, James, John, Joseph, Michael, Miles, Patrick and Walter Lawless, all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)