Leacake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Leacake is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the village of Laycock in the West Riding of Yorkshire. ^[1] The surname was originally derived from the Old English words leah cocc, which refers to the meadow with the wild birds. ^[2]

Another Laycock is a parish, in the union and hundred of Chippenham, Chippenham and Calne in Wiltshire. ^[3] ^[4]

Lacock is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and Lacock Abbey was founded on the manorial lands by Ela, Countess of Salisbury in 1232.

Early Origins of the Leacake family

The surname Leacake was first found in Laycock, now a a suburb of the town of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The first record of the family dates back to the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 where Johanna Lakkoc; Johannes de Laccok; and Thomas de Lacokke were each listed. ^[5]

Because of the proximity to the Scottish border, records in Scotland were found as early as 1492 when William Laicok was vicar of Retre (Rattray.) Later John Lacok canon of Dunkeld, was auditor of accounts of the bishopric between 1505 and 1517. ^[1]

Early History of the Leacake family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leacake research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1685 and 1648 are included under the topic Early Leacake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leacake 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 Leacake family name include Lacock, Laycock, Leacock and others.

Early Notables of the Leacake family (pre 1700)

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

Migration of the Leacake family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Leacake surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Robert Laycock arrived in Barbados in 1635; Adam, David, Hugh, James, John, Martha, and William Laycock all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..

The Leacake 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: Verus honor honestas
Motto Translation: Truth, honour and honesty.

Citations +

^ 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)
^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
^ Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)