Lowder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Lowder family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lowther, now in the civil parish in Eden District, Cumbria. Historically in Westmorland, Lowther was first recorded as Lauder c. 1175 and it thought to have been named from the River Lowther. 1 "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town, where carpet and linen manufactories were established." 2 "Lowther Castle, the residence of the family of that name, stands majestically in a park of 600 acres, and combines the grand effect of a fortification with the splendour of a palace; the fabric is modern, having been commenced in 1802, upon the site of the ancient Hall, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1720. " 2

Early Origins of the Lowder family

The surname Lowder was first found in Westmorland, an area in the North East of England (now part of Cumbria,) where the family is "eminently a knightly family, traced by Brydges to Sir Gervase de Lowther, living in the reign of Henry III. Other authorities make Sir Hugh de Lowther, knight for this county, in the 28th of Edward I., as the first recorded ancestor; his great-grandson was at Agincourt in 1415." 3

Lowther is a parish in Westmorland. "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town." 2

Early History of the Lowder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lowder research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1215, 1583, 1588, 1589, 1593, 1605, 1626, 1628, 1640, 1641, 1655, 1659, 1660, 1668, 1675, 1692, 1693, 1696, 1700, 1713, 1723 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Lowder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowder Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Lowther, Louder, Lowder, Louther and others.

Early Notables of the Lowder family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Lowther of Lowther, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1588; Gerard Lowther of Penrith, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1593; Sir John Lowther of Lowther Hall; Richard Lowther (ca. 1583-1659), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1626, Member of Parliament for Appleby 1640; Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet (1605-1675), an English lawyer, landowner, and politician who sat in the House of Commons...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lowder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowder Ranking

In the United States, the name Lowder is the 6,956^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Lowder family to Ireland

Some of the Lowder family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowder migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Lowder or a variant listed above were:

Lowder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Lowder, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 5
William Lowder, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 5
Henry Lowder, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 5
Richard Lowder, who arrived in New England in 1642 5
Robert Lowder, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lowder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Lowder, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
Joseph Lowder, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Lowder (post 1700) +

Larry Lowder (b. 1950), American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Ogden, Utah, 1985, 1991 6
Robert E. "Bobby" Lowder (b. 1944), American banking executive, founder and former longtime CEO of the Colonial Bank and Colonial BancGroup
Kyle Brandon Lowder (b. 1980), American actor, best known for his role as Brady Black on Days of our Lives (2000–2005)
James Daniel Lowder (b. 1963), American author and editor
John Lowder, English architect and surveyor working in Bath, Somerset in the mid 1800's
Charles Fuge Lowder (1820-1880), English priest of the Church of England, founder of the Society of the Holy Cross
Thomas William Lowder (1924-1999), English footballer
Arthur Lowder (1863-1926), English footballer
Robert Lowder Seaborn (1911-1993), Newfoundland-born, Canadian Anglican Bishop of Newfoundland, Canada (1965 to 1980)

The Lowder 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: Magistratus indicat virum
Motto Translation: The magistracy shows the man.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html