| ![Show Contents]() Letham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of LethamWhat does the name Letham mean? The ancient and distinguished surname Letham hails from Lathom, Lancashire which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Latune at that time. 1 Over the years the place name, evolved to Lathum in 1200, and Lathom in 1223. It derives its origin from Old Norse "hlaoa," literally meaning "a barn," whereas the place name means "at the barns." 2 The manor of Lathom was the most important of 17 manors held by Uctred, an Anglo-Danish landowner at the time of the Conquest in 1066. Early Origins of the Letham familyThe surname Letham was first found in Lancashire at Lathom, a township, in the parish and union of Ormskirk, hundred of West Derby. One of the first records of the family was Robert Fitzhenry de Lathom, who possessed lands throughout south Lancashire, extending to Flixton in the barony of Manchester. Robert de Latam was listed in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1204 and later, Henry de Latham was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327. 3 "The seat of the Lathom family, of whom Robert de Lathom, in the reign of Edward I., received the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair, and whose baronial mansion of Lathom House, remarkable for its extent and magnificence, and formidable for its strength, afterwards became so conspicuous in history. This noble castle, which had eighteen towers, and was surrounded by a fosse eight yards in breadth, with a drawbridge defended by a lofty gateway tower, was twice besieged by the parliamentary forces during the reign of Charles I., of whose cause its owner was a resolute supporter." 4 Other records show Latham in the West Riding of Yorkshire could also be a point of origin for the family. Laytham is located the East Riding of Yorkshire. 3 "The Lathams are a very old and distinguished Cheshire and Lancashire family, that took its name from Lathom in Lancashire. Their Cheshire home was at Astbury from the 14th to the 16th century; afterwards they resided at Congleton." 5 "For six centuries they presided with little interruption over the civil government of Lancashire." 6 "The pedigree usually commences with Robert Fitz-Henry, Lord of Lathom, who between 1189 and 1199 founded Burscough Priory. The patronymical Fitz was continued until about the middle of the XIII. century, when the fixed surname of De Lathom was adopted." 6 Early History of the Letham familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Letham research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1618, 1740, 1750, 1761, 1788, 1789, 1795, 1796, 1837, 1843 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Letham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Letham Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Letham, Lethem and others. Early Notables of the Letham familyJohn Latham (1740-1837), an English ornithologist, born 27 June 1740 at Eltham, Kent, where his father, John Latham, had long practised as a surgeon, and died 23 Aug. 1788. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, studied anatomy under Hunter, and practised medicine for many years at Dartford. He soon acquired a considerable fortune, and, retiring from practice in 1796, settled at Romsey, Hampshire. He received the degree of M.D. at Erlangen in 1795.
John Latham M.D. (1761-1843), the English physician, was born on 29 Dec. 1761 at Gawsworth, Cheshire, of which parish his...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Letham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Letham family to IrelandSome of the Letham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Letham migration to the United States | + |
Letham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Richard Letham, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 7
Letham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Robert Letham, who settled in North Carolina in 1813
- Miss Agnes Letham, aged 23, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
| Letham migration to Canada | + |
Letham Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- John Letham, who settled in Nova Scotia sometime between 1598 and 1783
| Letham 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: Letham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. Letham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 8
- Mrs. Letham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 8
- Mr. Robert Letham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 8
- Mr. David Letham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th September 1853 8
- Mr. John Letham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th October 1855 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Letham (post 1700) | + |
- Dugald Ronald "Ronnie" Letham (1949-2008), Scottish actor
- David Letham (1923-2007), Scottish football player and administrator
- Isabel Letham (1899-1995), Australian pioneer first-time surfer at Freshwater Beach, Sydney in 1915, tandem with Duke Kahanamoku
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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