LACY FAMILY HISTORY


This page is dedicated to the history of the branch of the Lacy family from North Yorkshire

The Lacy family has a fascinating history stretching back to the Norman Conquest when two members of the de Lacy family (from Lassy in Calvados) arrived in England with William the Conqueror. The family were prominent in the history of England down to the time of Edward II, linking to many other notable families, and were the focus of a thorough book by W.E.Wightman, 'The Lacy Family in England and Normandy 1066-1194' [Oxford 1966]. The de Lacy family were represented in Yorkshire from an early date as they held the Honour of Pontefract. An outline of the early history of the family appears on Tim Midgley's site. The family were also prominent in Ireland.

Although the principal male line of the Lacy family in Yorkshire died out in the early 14th century, several junior branches survived as minor nobility into the 17th century and beyond. One notable line survived around Midgley and Hebden Bridge, west of Halifax, and at nearby Cromwellbotham and Brearley (represented in the 1585 Visitation). Another branch flourished at Folkton just south of Scarborough, with a subsidiary line in Beverley. This Folkton line traced its descent from a John Lacy of Folkton living around 1377, and it may be that this line represents an offshoot of the main West Yorkshire family and the origin of the Lacy name in the North Riding.

The earliest evidence so far found of the Lacy family in the North Yorkshire Moors occurs with the will of Thomas Lacy of Danby in the 1540's. A William Lacy (possibly his grandson) was buried at Danby in 1597, but the earliest Lacy for whom we have a firm documentary connection was Thomas Lacy (d.1647, possibly William's son) who married Dorothy (d.1618) and had a son John, baptised at Danby on 18th July 1585. John's descendants flourished in the Danby area for several hundred years, and an outline of the top of the tree and the connections of related researchers is attached.

Some notes on other unrelated Lacy family research interests are also attached.

Steve Lacy has been researching the Lacy family for many years now, and has a comprehensive (if somewhat out of date) set of related links incorporated in his Lacy family website, along with an archived Lacy family newsletter. Dr. Edwin V. Lacy has published a range of articles on the early history of the de Lacy family, to which there are links from Steve's website.

Bruce Mitton has done some interesting work on the thesis that Ralph the Red of Great Mitton was an illegitimate son of Robert de Lacy, and his website also includes some interesting material on the early history of the family.

Anyone interested in further details of this branch of the Lacy family, or who is able to provide additional details relevant to this branch, is invited to contact the coordinator for this page Ian Hall.

 

This page was last updated 12 September 2012