| ![Show Contents]() Leadingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Early Origins of the Leadingham familyThe surname Leadingham was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Leadenham, held by Colegrim from Count Alan who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Leadingham familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leadingham research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1302 are included under the topic Early Leadingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Leadingham Spelling VariationsNorman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Ledenham, Leddenham, Lednum, Leadenum, Ledenum, Lednham, Leadingham, Leadinham, Ledingham, Ledham, Ledman and many more. Early Notables of the Leadingham familyMore information is included under the topic Early Leadingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Leadingham migration to the United States | + |
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Leadingham or a variant listed above:
Leadingham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Frank Leadingham, aged 24, originally from Arbroath, Scotland, who arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Caledonia" from Glasgow, Scotland 2
- Jessie Leadingham, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Carminia" from Southampton, England 2
- Edwin Leadingham, aged 6, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Carminia" from Southampton, England 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Leadingham (post 1700) | + |
- James C. Leadingham, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Kentucky State House of Representatives 99th District, 1973, 1975 3
- William C. Leadingham, American architect, known for his design of The William Lanford House, now a historic residence in Huntsville, Alabama
- Charles Leadingham, American rugby player, member USA Rugby South squad at the 2015 NACRA Rugby Championship
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Leadingham migration to the United States 
