Contents [hide]

Howden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Howden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Howden family

The surname Howden was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Howden, a small market town and civil parish. The town pre-dates the Norman Conquest, as the first record of the place was as Heafuddene in the year 959, when King Edgar of England granted his first wife, Ethelfleda, Howden Manor. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, the parish was listed as Hovedene from the Old English heafod + denu and it literally meant "valley by the headland" or "spit of land." 1

The Domesday Book lists the lands that were held at that time by the Bishop of Durham, and he conferred the church upon the monks of Durham. 2 He kept Howden Manor for himself. "This place, which is of considerable antiquity, was distinguished for its collegiate establishment, founded by Robert, Bishop of Durham, in 1266, for Secular clerks, and dedicated to St. Peter and St. Cuthbert." 3

Roger of Hoveden or Howden (d. 1201?), was a chronicler, "probably a native of Howden, a possession of the see of Durham, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and very possibly a brother of a William of Hoveden, who was chaplain of Hugh de Puiset, bishop of Durham." 4

John de Houton (d. 1246), was an early English justice and was appointed Archdeacon of Bedford in 1216. "From this time forward he was frequently employed in a judicial capacity, and seems to have been high in the royal favour. As Archdeacon of Bedford he decided several cases in which the priory of Dunstable was concerned, especially two between the monks and burgesses of Dunstable in 1221 and 1228." 4

Early History of the Howden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Howden research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1268, 1275, 1296, 1382, 1383, 1386, 1397, 1523 and 1530 are included under the topic Early Howden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Howden Spelling Variations

The name Howden, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Howden, Houden, Howdin, Howdon, Hawden, Hawdon and others.

Early Notables of the Howden family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

John of Howden (fl. 1268-1275), also known as John of Hoveden, a 13th century English Franciscan friar
John of Howden, who was prebendary of the church of Howden in Yorkshire, is generally believed to be another man. Robert Howden (died c. 1397), was an English politician, Member of the Parliament for...

Howden migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Howden family, or who bore a variation of the surname Howden were

Howden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Howden, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 5
Robert Howden who settled in Virginia in 1653
Rich Howden, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5

Howden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Howden, who landed in America in 1826 5
John and Robert Howden, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1861

Howden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Howden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

W. Howden, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Camilla" in 1849 6
John Howden, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Blundell" in 1851 7
George Howden, English Convict from Yorkshire, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8

Howden migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Howden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Howden, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 9
Mrs. Howden, American settler travelling from San Francisco aboard the ship "Dakota" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 11th January 1873 10
Miss Howden, American settler travelling from San Francisco aboard the ship "Dakota" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 11th January 1873 10
Mr. Howden, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Wild Deer" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th March 1874 9
Mr. George Howden, (b. 1858), aged 21, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Howden (post 1700) +

Ronald "Ron" Howden (b. 1967), Canadian-born skier who competed for team Britain at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Will Howden (b. 1977), British sailor at the 2008 Summer Olympics
James "Jim" Guthrie Howden (1934-1993), Australian bronze medalist rower at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Robert Howden (1917-2004), South African cricketer
Charles Peter Howden (1911-2003), New Zealand cricketer
John Power Howden (1879-1959), Canadian physician and politician, Member of Parliament for St. Boniface (1925-1945)
James Henry Howden (1860-1938), Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1903 to 1915
Quinton Howden (b. 1992), Canadian gold, silver and bronze medalist NHL ice hockey player
Rhys Howden (b. 1987), Australian water polo player at the 2008 Summer Olympics
James Howden (1832-1913), Scottish engineer and inventor, best known for his invention of the Howden forced draught system for steam boilers

The Howden Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ferio, tego
Motto Translation: I strike, I cover.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CAMILLA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Camilla.gif
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BLUNDELL 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Blundell.htm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html