LEATHERLAND ANCESTRY : HOME
Holy Trinity Church, Churchover where my great great grandparents married in 1866
How it all started
Sometime in the mid-1980s I became interested in tracing my family history. I had always been interested in history, indeed I graduated from the University of York with a history degree in 1985. But my genealogical journey began when I found a letter on my grandfather's piano from Christopher Holme of Oxford whose family owned an old portrait said to be of John Leatherland and a leather pouch inscribed "John Leatherland Constantinople 1685".
My Grandpa was Charles Leatherland. He was a Labour Life Peer in the House of Lords. Because the surname was rare, Mr Holme had contacted him wondering whether we knew anything about this John Leatherland or whether he might perhaps be our ancestor. The story behind the portrait and wallet remain unclear forty years later, but this inspired my interest in the family origins.
I discovered that, in the late 1960s, my uncle (another John Leatherland) had traced some of our ancestry and he was happy to share his research notes with me. I was also fortunate to work just two minutes' walk from St Catherine's House where the civil registration records used to be kept in the late 1980s so I began to make frequent visits to search for and order birth, marriage and death certificates.
All Saints Church, Yelvertoft where 18th century Leatherland ancestors were married and baptised
The Red Lion Inn, Kilsby 1887 : photo from Jean McLaughlin www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/UckfieldphtgrsAG.htm
The Leatherland Name
Leatherland is a relatively rare surname. The Office of National Statistics database based on modern census records contains over one million different surnames, but only 947 people with the surname Leatherland. The name ranks 6,915th in terms of surname popularity. Using the spelling Letherland gives a further 53 people and Litherland 1,286. Compare this with more common surnames. My own surname (Richards) produces 75,000 people. Johnson gives you 179,731.
Evidence
I have carried out a great deal of research on and off over the last thirty years. Most of the 19th and 20th century information comes from Birth / Marriage / Death certificates, the censuses between 1841 and 1921, the 1939 Register and some family information.
Before the advent of civil registration in 1837 I have used parish registers, originally via the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and various indexes on Find My Past, Ancestry, plus Alan Clark and Marilyn Pontin's Northants Baptism/Marriage/Burial indexes www.northants-familytree.net. More recently I have examined Ancestry's collection of Northants and Warwickshire parish register images.
I have carried out research in the Northants, Warwickshire and Leicestershire Record Offices. I have examined a number of wills and marriage licence bonds and other documents found in the archives. I have looked at the Hatton Asylum records at Warwickshire Record Office, the Crick Overseers of the Poor accounts at the Northants Record Office, and other parish chest records.
For anyone with ancestors in Northants, Alan Clark's parish register indexes are very useful. Browsing them is fascinating and throws up all sorts of interesting entries. For example, in their pre-1700 Marriage Index you will find the marriage of "Mr Peter Le Noir Un Trompette Des Gardes Du Roi"to Mary Watts of Northampton in Brixworth in 1683. The bridegroom's French name translates roughly as Black Peter a Trumpet of the Guards of the King !! Nothing to do with Leatherlands but there is no doubt an intriguing story behind this mysterious Frenchman (or perhaps the vicar was drunk ! )
Hollowell, Northants, home to Leatherland families for over 200 years
Family Information
I was lucky enough to be able to find out much by talking to my grandfather, Charles Leatherland, and two great uncles, who all lived into their 90s. My Uncle, John Leatherland, who began the family history research, sadly passed away in 2018.
I am not a Leatherland. The Leatherlands are my maternal family line. My grandfather, Charles Leatherland, was a major inspiration in my life and my site www.charlesleatherland.info looks at his life and achievements.
If you have Leatherland ancestors - or indeed any links with or interest in the contents of this site - I would be pleased to hear from you.
David Richards
April 2009
Contact me : mailto:davidr4u@btinternet.com
Site last updated November 2024
