Contents [hide]

Rothwell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Rothwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Rothwell first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Rothwell, a place-name found in the counties of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 The place-name Rothwell is derived from the Old English words roth, which means forest clearing, and wella, which means spring or stream. The place-name as a whole translates as "spring or stream in the summer clearing." 2 In the Domesday Book, 3 compiled in 1086, each of those places was originally listed as Rodewelle.

Early Origins of the Rothwell family

The surname Rothwell was first found in Lincolnshire where one of the first listings of the family was Robert de Rothewelle who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Later in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls, Johanna de Rothewell and Johannes de Rothewell were listed. 1

Early History of the Rothwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rothwell research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1627 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Rothwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rothwell Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Rothwell has appeared include Rothwell, Rathwell, Rosswell, Rosewell and others.

Early Notables of the Rothwell family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Rothwell, the exorcist, who was born at Bolton (now in Greater Manchester) in 1563. 4 He died in 1627 and was "known
as "Bold Rothwell, the Apostle of the North," and famed as an exorcist, who professed to have wonderful contests with demons
Rothwell ; none of your Le'er-edge Rothwells, but a descendant of him that beat the devil.' " (Annals of Bolton)

Rothwell Ranking

In the United States, the name Rothwell is the 9,288^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Rothwell family to Ireland

Some of the Rothwell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rothwell migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Rothwell arrived in North America very early:

Rothwell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Rothwell who settled with her husband in New England in 1654
Jane Rothwell, who landed in Maryland in 1657 6
William Rothwell, who arrived in Maryland in 1681 6
James and Hesta Rothwell, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685
Hester Rothwell, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 6

Rothwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Rothwell, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1807
James Rothwell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 6

Rothwell migration to Australia +

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

Rothwell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Rothwell, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. James Rothwell, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Thomas Rothwell, (b. 1805), aged 26, English farrier who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1834 9
Mr. John Rothwell, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 10
Mr. John Rothwell, English convict who was convicted in Preston, Lancashire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rothwell 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:

Rothwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Rothwell, (b. 1804), aged 38, British agricultural labourer and sawyer travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 12
Mrs. Elizabeth Rothwell, (b. 1807), aged 35, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 12
Mr. Richard Rothwell, (b. 1835), aged 7, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 12
Mr. Joseph Rothwell, (b. 1840), aged 2, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 12
Mr. James Rothwell, (b. 1842), aged Infant, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Rothwell (post 1700) +

Michael Rothwell (b. 1953), American sailor
Ben Rothwell (b. 1981), American mixed martial artist
Benjamin "Ben" Rothwell Jr. (1902-1979), American boxer
Henry Phillip Rothwell (d. 1940), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wyoming, 1932 13
Gideon Frank Rothwell (1836-1894), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Missouri 10th District, 1879-81 13
Fountain Rothwell, American politician, U.S. Collector of Customs, 1941 13
Fount Rothwell, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1912 13
Talbot Nelson Conn Rothwell OBE (1916-1981), English screenwriter from Bromley, Kent, prisoner of war during World War II after being shot down over Norway, close friend of Peter Butterworth, the English comedy actor and comedian
Squadron Leader Peter Rothwell (1920-2010), English bomber pilot in World War II from Bristol, recipient of the Award of the George Cross to Malta
Herbert Rothwell (b. 1880), English footballer
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Rothwell family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Rothwell, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 14

HMS Repulse

Mr. Frederick Rothwell, British Ordinary Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 15

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html