Liverpool History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Liverpool name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the township of Great Lever in Lancashire as well as in Little Lever the chapelry in the parish of Bolton in Lancashire. The Liverpool family were industrialists and millers, perhaps giving rise to the modern city of Liverpool, from their own Leaver's Port.

Early Origins of the Liverpool family

The surname Liverpool was first found in Lancashire at Little Lever, now a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester. Great Lever, a township nearby "was long held by the family of Lever, but in the 6th year of Edward IV., Sir Rauff Assheton, Knt., sued out a 'write of right of warde' against Roger Lever, for the recovery of the manor, and obtained judgment against him at the assizes of Lancaster. Lever, however, with a number of dependants of his name, and a large concourse of persons, many of whom had been outlawed, riotously broke into Lancaster Castle, and carried off the record of recovery. Sir Rauff complaining of this outrage to the two houses of parliament, they ordained that the copy of the record which was annexed to his petition should be of the same force and efficacy as the original; and the justices thereupon ordered execution to issue, and reinstated him in the possession, which, notwithstanding, was not undisturbed until some time after. " 1

The village's name was derived from the Old English word "laefre," which means "place where the rushes grow." 2 The first listing of the place name was found in 1212 when it was listed as Parua Lefre. 2 Nearby is Darcy Lever which was the ancestral home of the D'Arcy family since 1590.

Early History of the Liverpool family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Liverpool research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1551, 1553 and 1577 are included under the topic Early Liverpool History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Liverpool Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Liverpool were recorded, including Lever, Leaver, Leyver and others.

Early Notables of the Liverpool family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Liverpool Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Liverpool family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Liverpool family emigrate to North America: Ashton Lever and James Lever, who settled in Maryland in 1775; Adam, James, John, Lawrence, and William Lever, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.

Contemporary Notables of the name Liverpool (post 1700) +

Earl Robert Banks Jenkinson Liverpool (1770-1828), English Earl of Liverpool/statesman
Nicholas Joseph Orville Liverpool (1934-2015), Dominica politician and jurist, 6th President of Dominica (2003-2012)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)