Show ContentsBoveye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestry of the name Boveye dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Bouville, in Seine Maritime, which later changed to Bovilla, in 1212. 1

Early Origins of the Boveye family

The surname Boveye was first found in Devon, at North Bovey, a parish, in the union of Newton-Abbot, hundred of Teignbridge, Crockernwell. "The lords of this manor formerly exercised the power of inflicting punishment for capital crimes. " 2

Early History of the Boveye family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boveye research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1451, 1466, 1523, 1622, 1669, 1679, 1684, 1691, 1696, 1709, 1726 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Boveye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boveye Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Boveye have been found, including Bovey, Bovie, Bovy and others.

Early Notables of the Boveye family

Distinguished members of the family include James Boevey (1622-1696), an English merchant, lawyer and philosopher; and Sir Ralph Bovey (d. 1679), 1st Baronet Bovey, Sheriff of Warwickshire and Bedfordshire. Catharina Bovey or Boevey (1669-1726), was a "charitable lady, was born in London in 1669, her father being John Riches, a very wealthy merchant there. Catharina was a great beauty. In 'The New Atlantis' of 1736, where she is called Portia, she is described as 'one of those lofty, black, and lasting beauties that strike with...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boveye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Boveye family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Boveye, or a variant listed above: The widow Bovey who settled in Barbados in 1680; Margaret Bovey settled in New England in 1679; Jerome Bovie settled in New Netherlands in 1663 with his wife and five children.



  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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