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Dowsett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dowsett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The earliest origins of the family name Dowsett date back to the Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name given to a good-tempered person. The surname Dowsett is derived from the Old English words douce and dowce, which mean sweet, pleasant. These words, which later became doux, were ultimately derived from the Old French words dolz and dous, which had the same meaning. As a personal name, Dowsett was often given to females and occasionally was borne by males.

Early Origins of the Dowsett family

The surname Dowsett was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Dowsett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowsett research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1619, 1630, 1640, 1648 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Dowsett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowsett Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Dowsett include Dowse, Dowcett, Dowsett, Dorset, Dorsett, Dowser, Dowsey and many more.

Early Notables of the Dowsett family

Notables of the family at this time include William Dowse of Collingborn; Edward Dowse (1582-1648), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648; and Thomas Dowse,(c. 1630-1683), also...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dowsett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dowsett family to Ireland

Some of the Dowsett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dowsett migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Dowsett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hezekiah Dowsett, who landed in America in 1760-1763 1
Paul and Hezekiah Dowsett, who settled in New England in 1763

Dowsett migration to Australia +

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

Dowsett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Dowsett, (b. 1791), aged 32, English weaver who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for embezzlement, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1871 2
Mr. Thomas Dowsett who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. John Dowsett, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. William Dowsett, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Thomas Dowsett, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 5

Dowsett 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:

Dowsett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

A. Dowsett, aged 43, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Eliza Dowsett, aged 40, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Charles Dowsett, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Frederick Dowsett, aged 17, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Sophia Dowsett, aged 13, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dowsett (post 1700) +

Stafford A. Dowsett, American politician, Mayor of Gresham, Oregon, 1965 6
John M. Dowsett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1908 6
Gilbert James "Dickie" Dowsett (1931-2020), English professional footballer from Widford, Essex
Alex Dowsett (b. 1988), English racing cyclist
Phil Dowsett (b. 1951), British retired auto racing driver
The Honourable Justice John Dowsett, judge of the Federal Court of Australia
Professor Charles Dowsett, British Professor of Armenian Studies at Oxford University

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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html