Lawter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Lawter family

The surname Lawter was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held a family seat at Bowden in that shire.

Early History of the Lawter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lawter research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1091, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1538 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Lawter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawter Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Lawter were recorded, including Lawterham, Latterham, Lawterhan, Latterhan, Letteram and many more.

Early Notables of the Lawter family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Lawterham family of Devon

Lawter migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Lawter family emigrate to North America:

Lawter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Lawter, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 1

Citations +

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)