Contents [hide]

Mowatt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Mowatt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The rugged terrain and rich ancestry of Scotland forms the backdrop to the origins of Mowatt family surname. In Scotland, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules during the late Middle Ages. The Mowatt family lived in Angus, but the origin of the surname can be traced back to Normandy where it is thought to be derived from Mont Hault which means of "high mount."

Early Origins of the Mowatt family

The surname Mowatt was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they were granted lands by King David I of Scotland.

Early History of the Mowatt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mowatt research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1130, 1296, 1304 and 1320 are included under the topic Early Mowatt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mowatt Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mowatt, Mouat, Mowat, Mouatt and others.

Early Notables of the Mowatt family

Notable among the family at this time was

Sir Bernard Mowatt

Mowatt migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mowatt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Magnus Mowatt, who landed in New England in 1767 1

Mowatt migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mowatt Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Daniel Mowatt U.E., (David) who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 2
Mr. David Mowatt U.E. born in the Orkney Islands, Scotland who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 2
Mrs. Mehitable Mowatt U.E. born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 wife of David Mowatt, daughter of Dr. John Culeff who's written account of the siege of Penobscot is at Harvard Library 2

Mowatt Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Mowatt, aged 20 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3

Mowatt migration to Australia +

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

Mowatt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Mowatt, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"
Mr. James Mowatt, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 20 years, transported aboard the "Clara" on 28th January 1864, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 4

Mowatt 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:

Mowatt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mowatt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th November 1852 5
James Mowatt, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 6
Mrs. Margaret Mowatt, (b. 1820), aged 54, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 26th October 1874 7
Mr. Isabella Mowatt, (b. 1822), aged 52, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 26th October 1874 7

Mowatt migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Mowatt Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Mowatt, who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Mowatt (post 1700) +

Ezekiel "Zeke" Mowatt (b. 1961), former American NFL football tight end
Taryne Mowatt (b. 1986), former All-American right-handed softball pitcher from Corona, California
Anna Cora Mowatt (1819-1870), French actress and dramatist from Bordeaux
Judy Mowatt (b. 1952), Jamaican singer
Paul Julian Mowatt (b. 1962), British photographer

Historic Events for the Mowatt family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Eliza Mowatt (1857-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 9
Mr. James A. B. Mowatt (1882-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 9

The Mowatt 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: Monte alto
Motto Translation: The high mountain

Citations +

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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 48)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clara
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 5th November 2010). 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
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance