Lecat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The name Lecat is derived from the Middle English and Old French word "legat," and the Latin legatus 1 meaning "ambassador, deputy." 2

"Often a pageantname. In 1377, in the procession for the entertainment of Richard, the young son of the Black Prince, was ‘one stately attired like a pope, whom followed twenty-four cardinals, and after them eight or ten with black visors, not amiable, as if they had been legates from some foreign prince’ " 3

Early Origins of the Lecat family

The surname Lecat was first found in Somerset where the Latin entry Hugolinus Legatus was recorded in 1084, two years before the Domesday Book of 1086.

However, another source explores this previous entry in more detail. "At the date of the Domesday Survey, Hervey Legatus was a tenant in capite in co. Bucks, and Richard Legatus had the same tenure in co. Gloucester." 1

Peter Legat was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Cornwall in 1199 and later, Ralph le Legat was listed in the Assize Rolls for Northumberland in 1279. Richard Leget was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Geoffrey le Legat, Devon; Robert Legat, Cambridgeshire; and Thomas Legat, Norfolk. 2

Hugh Legat (fl. 1400), was a Benedictine, a native of Hertfordshire, was not improbably a member of the family which held a manor at Abbots Walden in that county, belonging to the monks of St. Albans. Bale says that Hugh Legat was brought up in the monastery school at St. Albans, displayed a strong love for learning, and went with the abbots leave to pursue his studies at Oxford, where, in the Benedictine hostelry of Gloucester Hall, St. Albans, like other abbeys of its order, had a house for its own scholars. 4

In Scotland, "Adam Legate who rendered to Exchequer the accounts of the bailies of Stirling in 1406 appears again in 1412 as burgess of the town. Walter Leget or Legat of Scotland had safe conducts into England in 1421-1422, and Master John Legat had a safe conduct to pass to Rome in 1448. Thomas Legat of Tayn witnessed a notarial instrument, 1477." 5

Early History of the Lecat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lecat research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1403, 1406, 1407, 1408, 1412, 1540, 1549, 1574, 1575, 1586, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1591, 1597, 1602, 1604, 1608, 1609, 1611, 1612, 1620, 1635, 1651, 1660, 1668, 1669, 1670, 1671, 1672, 1676, 1685, 1693, 1708, 1710, 1715, 1716, 1730, 1755, 1780, 1797, 1809 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lecat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lecat Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Legat, Leggat, Leggatt, Leggate, Legatt, Legget, Liggat, Ligget, Liggett and many more.

Early Notables of the Lecat family

Notable among the family at this time was Helming Leget (died 1412), of Tottenham, Middlesex and Black Notley, Essex, an English politician, appointed Sheriff, Essex and Hertfordshire for...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lecat Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lecat Ranking

In France, the name Lecat is the 1,827^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,361 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Lecat family to Ireland

Some of the Lecat family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lecat migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lecat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois LeCat, aged 22, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Lecat (post 1700) +

François-Joseph Lecat, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Jean-Philippe Lecat (1935-2011), French politician, Minister of Information (1973-1974)
Stéphane Lecat (b. 1971), French gold, silver and two-time bronze medalist long-distance swimmer who swan the English Channel on 23 August 2003 in a time of 8 h 19 mins

The Lecat 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: Jesus hominum salvatore
Motto Translation: Jesus. The savior of mankind.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 8) FranÃ§ois-Joseph Lecat. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html