Foweller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Foweller is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a person who worked as the fowler or the bird-catcher having derived from the Old English word "fugelere" which literally means "hunter of wild birds, fowler" 1

Early Origins of the Foweller family

The surname Foweller was first found in Lincolnshire where Richard Fugelere was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1218. A few years later, Roger le Fugler was found in Norfolk in 1227. 1 In Wiltshire, one of the first records of the name was John the Foeglere who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. A few years later William le Foggheler and Henry le Fogheler were both listed in Somerset during the reign of King Edward III. 2

By the time of the Yorkshire Poll Tax in 1379, Ricardus Foghler and Rogerus Foghler were both listed in Yorkshire. 2 Fawler is a hamlet and civil parish in the valley of the River Evenlode in Oxfordshire. It dates back to 1205 when it was first listed as Fauflor and probably meant "variegated floor" as in "tessellated pavement" from the Old English words fag + flor. 3

Early History of the Foweller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foweller research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1218, 1270, 1358, 1451, 1537, 1555, 1560, 1577, 1579, 1585, 1590, 1610, 1612, 1632, 1662, 1678, 1685, 1691, 1693, 1714, 1756 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Foweller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foweller Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Foweller family name include Fowler, Fouler, Fowlers, Fouler, Fowlar, Folar, Fouller, Fowlare, Foweller, Fowaller, Foulier, Foullar, Foular and many more.

Early Notables of the Foweller family

Distinguished members of the family include John Fowler (1537-1579), English Catholic printer and scholar, born at Bristol in 1537; Abraham Fowler (fl. 1577), an English poet, a Queen's scholar at Westminster; Christopher Fowler (1610?-1678), an English ejected minister by the Uniformity Act of 1662; Thomas Fowler, (died 1590), English lawyer, diplomat, courtier, spy...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Foweller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Foweller family to Ireland

Some of the Foweller family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Foweller family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Foweller or a variant listed above: John Fowler who settled in Virginia in 1622.

The Foweller Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sapiens qui vigilat
Motto Translation: He is wise who watches

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)