The LEE Heritage The LEE Heritage 
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The English surname Lee is of local origin, derived from the name of the place where the original bearer once lived or held land. There are several possible locations for this place name and only a detailed examination of each instance can reveal its exact origin. The name appears to derive from the Old English word "leah", meaning "wood" or "clearing" and simply means "dweller by the wood or clearing". There are also many places in England and Wales named Lea, Lee, Leigh, Leighs and Lye and the origin of the name can be traced to one of these localities. Early references date back to the twelfth century where one Liffild de Lega appears in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1176. Other interesting references include the record of the marriage of John Lee and Angnes Masset who applied for a marriage licence to the Bishop of London in 1550-1. |
| Among the first settlers of the name in America was one John Lee, aged sixteen years, who sailed from the Port of London to Viginia in 1635. By 1877 the name was well established in the United States with two hundred and fifty eight people resident in New York. Notable bearers of the name include Laurie Lee, the english poet of pastoral and lyrical verse and Robert Lee (1807-1870), the American General who was Commander-in-chief of the Confederate armies in the Civil War. The blason of arms shown above were awarded to the Lee family of the county of Hertfordshire. |
| BLAZON OF ARMS | Argent, on a cross gules, five wolves' heads erased of the field |
| TRANSLATION | Argent (white or silver) signifies Peace and Sincerity. The cross is representative of the Christian faith. Gules (red) denotes Military Fortitude and Magnanimity. It is also the "martyr's colour". |
| CREST | The wolf's head of the arms |
| ORIGIN | ENGLAND |