Loeitch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

When the ancestors of the Loeitch family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Lancashire. Tower indicates that the original bearer lived in the tower of a castle. 1 In Normandy, the name was originally "De Tours, [having] descended from the Umfrevilles of Normandy, Barons of Prudhoe." 2 3

Early Origins of the Loeitch family

The surname Loeitch was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were the Lords of the manor of Lowick or Lofwick. William of Tours accompanied William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, and was granted estates under tenant in Chief, the Baron of Kendall. Some branches of this distinguished line remained in Lancashire, while others branched south to Sowerby in Lincolnshire, and Isle of Ely. Others of this family adopted the name Lowick and Lofwick and remained in Lancashire.

"William de Lancaster, first Baron of Kendal, granted certain lands here, temp. Henry II., to the Towers family, who conveyed them to the Lofwics in the reign of John. The estate was held by the Lofwics until it passed by marriage, in the reign of Henry VI." 4

Gilbert le Tower was one of the first entries for the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, "the family of Towers of Inverleith descended from Walter Towers, a Frenchman, merchant in Edinburgh in the reign of David II and William de Tours, vallet of Scotland, was made prisoner in a battle on the March of Scotland, 1359." 6

Early History of the Loeitch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loeitch research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1352, 1423, 1457, 1462, 1508, 1558, 1605, 1633, 1640 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Loeitch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loeitch Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Loeitch have been found, including Tower, Towers, Toure, Toures, Lowick, Lofwick and others.

Early Notables of the Loeitch family

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

Migration of the Loeitch family to Ireland

Some of the Loeitch family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Loeitch family

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Loeitch were among those contributors: Joane Tower who settled in Virginia in 1670; John Tower settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637; John Tower settled in New England with five children in 1641.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
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)