Ledgard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Ledgard family name to the British Isles. Ledgard comes from the name of the famous St. Leger.

Early Origins of the Ledgard family

The surname Ledgard was first found in Kent where Robert St. Leger was granted estates at Ulcombe and became Lord of the Manor of Ulcombe. "Ulcombe Place and manor belonged to the family of St. Leger, of whom Sir Robert, of an ancient house in Normandy, is said to have supported the Conqueror with his hand when landing on the Sussex coast. The present edifice, [(church)] which is in the later English style, contains some very old monuments to the St. Legers." ^[1] He also held estates at Bexhill in Sussex. Another source claims that Robert actually assisted William, Duke of Normandy from the boat which brought him to England in 1066 prior to the Battle of Hastings.

Important Dates for the Ledgard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ledgard research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1767, 1540, 1631, 1678, 1600, 1618, 1619, 1627, 1600, 1665, 1621, 1650 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Ledgard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledgard Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled St.Leger, Leger, Legere, Sallinger, Sellinger, St. Ledger and many more.

Early Notables of the Ledgard family (pre 1700)

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

Migration of the Ledgard family to Ireland

Some of the Ledgard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 249 words (18 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledgard migration to New Zealand

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ledgard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Robert Ledgard, aged 25, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "George Fyfe" in 1842
• Mary Ledgard, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "George Fyfe" in 1842
• D Ledgard, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844

Citations

1. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.