Leytham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Leytham

What does the name Leytham mean?

The ancient and distinguished surname Leytham 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 Leytham family

The surname Leytham 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 Leytham family

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

Leytham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Letham, Lethem and others.

Early Notables of the Leytham family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was John 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...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leytham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Leytham family to Ireland

Some of the Leytham 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.

Migration of the Leytham family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Andrew and Jane Lethem, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767 along with their children; John Letham, who settled in Nova Scotia sometime between 1598 and 1783.

Sources +

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.