Lacey

Recorded in several forms including de Lacey, Lacey, Lacy, Lassy, and Leacy, this is an English surname but of Norman-French pre 10th century origin. Introduced into Britain after the Conquest of 1066, it is locational and derives from the village of "Lassy" in Calvados, France. The place name is from an ancient Gaulish personal name, "Lascius", of uncertain etymology, plus the locational suffix "-acum", denoting place of or settlement. Two members of the original "Lassy" family came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. These were the brothers Ilbert and William de Laci or Lacy. Ilbert was the ancestor of John, the 1st Earl of Lincoln, who was one of the barons involved in compelling King John (1199 - 1216) to sign Magna Carta in 1215. William's descendants distinguished themselves in Ireland under Henry 11 (1154 - 1189), whilst Peter Lacy (1678 - 1751), was the military adviser to Czar Peter, the Great, of Russia. Early examples of the surname include: Henry de Lasci (1185, Lincolnshire); Gilbert de Lascy (1273, Shropshire); and Isabella Lassy (1379, Yorkshire). Among the many recordings in the surviving church registers are the christening of John Lacy on August 26th 1586, at St. Botolph without Aldgate, in the city of London, and the marriage of John Lacey and Samone Steeven at Ingatestone, in the county of Kent, on October 13th 1594. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Laci. This was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book, during the reign of King William 1st, 1066 - 1087. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.