Contents [hide]

Leggatt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Leggatt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The name Leggatt 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 Leggatt family

The surname Leggatt 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 Leggatt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leggatt 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 Leggatt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leggatt 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 Leggatt 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 Leggatt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Leggatt family to Ireland

Some of the Leggatt 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.

Leggatt migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leggatt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Catherine Leggatt, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 6

Leggatt migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Leggatt Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Leggatt U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 259 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 7

Leggatt migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Leggatt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Leggatt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Blundell" in 1851 8

Leggatt 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:

Leggatt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Leggatt, Irish settler travelling from Cork aboard the ship "Spirit of Trade" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 4th December 1858 9
Miss Isabella Leggatt, (b. 1846), aged 19, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Greyhound" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th May 1865 10
George Leggatt, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1872

Contemporary Notables of the name Leggatt (post 1700) +

Herbert Thomas Owen Leggatt (1868-1946), India-born, Scottish international rugby union player for Scotland in the 1890s
Alison Leggatt (1903-1990), born Alison Joy Leggatt, an English character actress, known for Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), This Happy Breed (1944) and The Day of the Triffids (1963)
Logie Colin Leggatt (1894-1917), English cricketer who was killed at Pilckem Ridge, Belgium on the 31 July 1917 during the First World War
Sir George Andrew Midsomer Leggatt (b. 1957), English Justice of the High Court, son of Sir Andrew Leggatt
Sir Andrew Leggatt (b. 1930), English jurist, former Lord Justice of Appeal and member of the Privy Council
Sir William Watt "Bill" Leggatt DSO, MC (1894-1968), Australian soldier, lawyer and politician, Commanding Officer of the 2/40th Battalion, Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Mornington (1947-1956)
Stuart Malcolm Leggatt (1931-2002), Canadian politician and judge, Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Coquitlam-Moody (1979-1983)
Ian Leggatt (b. 1965), Canadian professional golfer who has won the Touchstone Energy Tucson Open in 2002

Historic Events for the Leggatt family +

HMS Hood

Mr. George F S Leggatt (b. 1921), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11

The Leggatt 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)
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BLUNDELL 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Blundell.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm