Rowls Surname HistoryThe chronicles of the Rowls family reach back into Scottish history to an ancient tribe known as the Picts. The ancestors of the Rowls family lived in the lands or barony of Ralston, which are near Paisley in the county of Renfrew (now part of the Strathclyde region). Early Origins of the Rowls familyThe surname Rowls was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, at Ralston, (Gaelic: Baile Raghnaill) a small suburban settlement bordering onto the eastern edge of the town of Paisley. It is generally believed the place name Ralston takes its name from the ancient feudal estates of Ralphistoun (Ralph's town), named after the younger son of the Earl of Fife, and dates back to the early 12th century. Later and further to the south, Rowlston was a hamlet in the parish of Mappleton, union of Skirlaugh, N. division of the wapentake of Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire. "This place, in Domesday Book called Roolfestone, belonged in the 15th century to a family of the local name, and, after passing through several other families." 1 This hamlet is now been formally amalgamated into the village and civil parish of Mappleton. Rowlstone is a parish and village in Herefordshire. Early History of the Rowls familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowls research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1447, 1448, 1452, 1705 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rowls Spelling VariationsWhen the first dictionaries were invented in the last few hundred years, spelling gradually became standardized. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound. Names were often recorded under different spelling variations every time they were written. Rowls has been written Ralston, Ralstoun, Rowlston, Rowlstone and others. Early Notables of the Rowls familyAnother 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rowls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Rowls family to IrelandSome of the Rowls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Rowls familyThe crossing to North America did not seem so great in comparison with the hardships many Scots endured at home. It was long, expensive, and cramped, but also rewarding. North America offered land and the chance for settlers to prove themselves in a new place. And many did prove themselves as they fought to forge a new nation in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of those Scots can now experience much of their once-lost heritage through the Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up across North America in the last century. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Rowls: Anne, David, Daniel, James, Jane, John, Josh, Mary, Robert, Sarah, and William Ralston all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803; Mr. Rowlston and Lionel landed in Virginia in 1623..
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