Locach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Locach

What does the name Locach mean?

The present generation of the Locach family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Laycock in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 The surname was originally derived from the Old English words leah cocc, which refers to the meadow with the wild birds. 2

Another Laycock is a parish, in the union and hundred of Chippenham, Chippenham and Calne in Wiltshire. 3 4

Lacock is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 5 and Lacock Abbey was founded on the manorial lands by Ela, Countess of Salisbury in 1232. The name can be derived from Lacoc; or from the French, Lecocq; a personal name. 6

Early Origins of the Locach family

The surname Locach was first found in Laycock, now a a suburb of the town of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The first record of the family dates back to the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 where Johanna Lakkoc; Johannes de Laccok; and Thomas de Lacokke were each listed. 7

Because of the proximity to the Scottish border, records in Scotland were found as early as 1492 when William Laicok was vicar of Retre (Rattray.) Later John Lacok canon of Dunkeld, was auditor of accounts of the bishopric between 1505 and 1517. 1

Early History of the Locach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Locach research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1685, 1812, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1839, 1840 and 1876 are included under the topic Early Locach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Locach Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Locach include Lacock, Laycock, Leacock and others.

Early Notables of the Locach family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Laycock (1812-1876), English mental physiologist, born at Wetherby in the West Kiding of Yorkshire in 1812 and was educated at the Wesleyan academy, Woodhouse Grove, and at University College, London. He studied anatomy and physiology under Lisfranc and Velpeau at Paris during 1834, became M.R.C.S. in 1835, contributed in 1837 a valuable paper on 'The Acid and Alkaline Reactions of the Saliva' to the 'London Medical Gazette.' and graduated M.D. at Gottingen, 'summa cum laude.' in 1839. Laycock had already begun to specialise upon the relations existing between the nervous system and...
Another 135 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Locach Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Locach family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Locach were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Robert Laycock arrived in Barbados in 1635; Adam, David, Hugh, James, John, Martha, and William Laycock all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..

The Locach 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: Verus honor honestas
Motto Translation: Truth, honour and honesty.

Citations +

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)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. 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)