I’ll be using these pages to write about some of the history of the de Lacy family. I may compile it into book form at some point in the future, but for now I’ll be adding links and updates here from time to time
The de Lacy Family in Yorkshire and Lancashire
In early records the name is spelt as Laci, Lacy, and Lascy and it derives from a place now called Lassi, in the department of Calvados in Normandy.
There were two men named de Lacy who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror and his army. Ilbert de Lacy who came in the train of the Conqueror himself and Walter de Lacy who came in the train of William fitz Osbern. They fought at the Battle of Hastings and they both received lands as a reward.
My main interest is in the descendants of Ilbert de Lacy who was given 170 lordships, in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire, including the honour of Pontefract.
His son Robert also received the honour of Clitheroe and became lord of Bowland and of Blackburnshire.
The de Lacy family held vast areas of land in England until the death of Henry de Lacy (2) in 1311 after which they reverted to the crown following the execution of Alice de Lacy’s first husband, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster.
The following pages explore the stories of some of the de Lacy family in more detail: