This name derives from the Olde Scandinavian personal name Lindhardt a compound of the elements "lind", a spear or shield, plus "hardr", brave or strong. The surname adopted from this source is first recorded in the early 15th Century, (see below). On June 14th 1554 William Lingart, an infant, was christened in Kirkham, Lancashire, and in 1569 Thomas Lingard of Eccles, "butcher", appears in "The Wills Records at Chester". One of the earliest recordings of the name in the south east is that of William Lingard who married Anne Elwood in London (1588). John Lingard (1771 - 1851) was a renowned historian of England. His five volumes of "The History of England" were published during the period 1819 - 1830. He was created doctor of divinity and of the canon and civil law by Pius VII in 1821 while on visit to Rome. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Lyngard de Preston, which was dated 1415, in the "Preston Guild Rolls", during the reign of King Henry V, known as "The Victor of Agincourt", 1413 - 1422. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.