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Show ContentsRowley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Early Origins of the Rowley family

The surname Rowley was first found in Cheshire where the family claim to be of Saxon blood but the earliest record of the name was in the time of Edward II., when Randolph de Rowley was seated at Carmichan. 1

The name could have been Norman in origin too. "Roulat is now rather rare in France; but Roulet (and Roullet) and Roulot are fairly common." 2

There are also parishes named Rowley in Yorkshire and Staffordshire. The Assize Rolls of Yorkshire list Adam de Ruelay in 1219 3 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Adam de Roulay in Yorkshire. There was a significant branch in Somerset as seen by Gervase Rolegh and John Roley who were listed there during the reign of Edward I. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls lists Johannes de Rouley in 1379. 4

Early History of the Rowley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowley research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1547, 1559, 1560, 1571, 1585, 1626, 1633, 1642, 1648, 1690, 1710, 1768, 1775 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rowley, Rowly and others.

Early Notables of the Rowley family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • William Rowley (c. 1585-1642), an English dramatist, known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers
  • Samuel Rowley, (died 1633), a 16th century English dramatist and actor
  • Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Rowley KB (c. 1690-1768), British naval commander

Rowley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Rowley is the 2,267th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Rowley is ranked the 877th most popular surname with an estimated 4,508 people with that name. 6 And in the United Kingdom, the name Rowley is the 490th popular surname with an estimated 13,197 people with that name. 7

Ireland Migration of the Rowley family to Ireland

Some of the Rowley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Rowley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rowley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Rowley, who landed in New England in 1634 8
  • Christopher Rowley, who landed in Maryland in 1656 8
  • John Rowley, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 8
Rowley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Rowley, who arrived in America in 1801 8
  • Ann Rowley, aged 30, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1812 8
  • Thomas Rowley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1833 8
  • Nelson B Rowley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
  • Mrs. Sarah Rowley, aged 59, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Rowley migration to Australia +

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

Rowley Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Rowley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Rowley, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 14 years , transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Miss Ann Rowley, (b. 1783), aged 29, English servant who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Emu" in October 1812, the ship was captured and the passengers put ashore, the convicts were then transported aboard the "Broxburnebury" in January 1812 arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1875 11
  • Mr. James Rowley, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Charles Rowley, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • Mr. Samuel Rowley, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Rowley 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:

Rowley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Rowley, (b. 1858), aged 10 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 14
  • Miss Matilda Rowley, (b. 1858), aged 10 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 14
  • Mrs. Mary Rowley, (b. 1816), aged 42, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 14
  • Mr. Joseph Rowley, (b. 1818), aged 40, British labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 14
  • Mr. John Rowley, (b. 1838), aged 20, British general labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Rowley 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. 15
Rowley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Joseph and John Rowley, who settled in Barbados in 1686

Contemporary Notables of the name Rowley (post 1700) +

  • Jeremy Rowley, American character actor and comedian
  • Christopher Rowley (b. 1948), American Compton Crook Award winning writer of science fiction and fantasy
  • Janet Davison Rowley (1925-2013), American human geneticist, the first scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the cause of leukemia, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009
  • Cynthia Rowley (b. 1958), American fashion designer
  • James Jose Rowley (1908-1992), American administrator, director of the U.S. Secret Service (1961-1973)
  • William Rowley (1742-1806), English man-midwife, son of William Rowley of St. Luke's, Middlesex, born in London; despite not being a physician, he wrote numerous articles on various diseases, he died at Savile Row of typhus fever on 17 March 1806
  • William Spencer "Bill" Rowley (1865-1939), English football goalkeeper
  • Beth Rowley (b. 1981), English singer-songwriter
  • Geoffrey Joseph Rowley Jr. (b. 1976), English professional skateboarder, co-owner of Flip Skateboards
  • Paul Rowley (b. 1975), English retired rugby league footballer
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Welton D. Rowley, American Lieutenant Commander working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 16

Suggested Readings for the name Rowley +

  • The Shepard Genealogy by Lowell Shepard Blaisdell.
  • One Branch of the Tree: Rowley 1630-1986 by Ralph Duane Rowley.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Emu
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  16. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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