Contents [hide]

Lowther History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Lowther History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Lowther came to England with the ancestors of the Lowther family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Lowther family lived in Lowther, now in the civil parish in Eden District, Cumbria. Historically in Westmorland, Lowther was first recorded as Lauder c. 1175 and it thought to have been named from the River Lowther. 1 "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town, where carpet and linen manufactories were established." 2 "Lowther Castle, the residence of the family of that name, stands majestically in a park of 600 acres, and combines the grand effect of a fortification with the splendour of a palace; the fabric is modern, having been commenced in 1802, upon the site of the ancient Hall, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1720. " 2

Early Origins of the Lowther family

The surname Lowther was first found in Westmorland, an area in the North East of England (now part of Cumbria,) where the family is "eminently a knightly family, traced by Brydges to Sir Gervase de Lowther, living in the reign of Henry III. Other authorities make Sir Hugh de Lowther, knight for this county, in the 28th of Edward I., as the first recorded ancestor; his great-grandson was at Agincourt in 1415." 3

Lowther is a parish in Westmorland. "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town." 2

Early History of the Lowther family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lowther research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1215, 1583, 1588, 1589, 1593, 1605, 1626, 1628, 1640, 1641, 1655, 1659, 1660, 1668, 1675, 1692, 1693, 1696, 1700, 1713, 1723 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Lowther History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowther Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Lowther, Louder, Lowder, Louther and others.

Early Notables of the Lowther family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Richard Lowther of Lowther, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1588
Gerard Lowther of Penrith, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1593
Sir John Lowther of Lowther Hall
Richard Lowther (ca. 1583-1659), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1626, Member of Parliament for Appleby 1640
Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet (1605-1675), an English lawyer, landowner, and politician who sat in the House of Commons for Westmorland in 1628 and 1660
Colonel Sir John Lowther (c.1628-1668), on English landowner, at Hackthorpe, son and heir of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet
Anthony Lowther, FRS (c. 1641-1693), an English landowner, of Marske, Yorkshire and Member of Parliament
John Lowther (1655-1700), English politician, created 1st Viscount Lonsdale in 1696

Lowther Ranking

In the United States, the name Lowther is the 7,595^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Lowther family to Ireland

Some of the Lowther family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lowther migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lowther or a variant listed above:

Lowther Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Lowther, who settled in Virginia in 1635
William Lowther, aged 24, who landed in Virginia in 1635 5
Mr. William Lowther, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 6
Margaret Lowther, who landed in Maryland in 1671 5
Margaret, Lowther Jr., who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lowther Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Lowther, who arrived in New England in 1768 5
Henry Lowther, who landed in New York, NY in 1797 5

Lowther Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Lowther, who settled in New York in 1804
Joseph Lowther, aged 24, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 5
Thomas Lowther, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1826 5
Rober Lowther, aged 45, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 5

Lowther migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lowther Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Lowther U.E. who settled in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Penobscot Association 7

Lowther Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Lowther, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1848

Lowther migration to Australia +

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

Lowther Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Frances Lowther, (Louther), (b. 1798), aged 31, Irish servant who was convicted in Longford, Ireland for life for arson, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Robert Lowther, (b. 1814), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1891 9
Mr. Robert Lowther, (b. 1799), aged 40, English butcher who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1840 10
Hannah Lowther, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Amity Hall" in 1850 11
Arthur Lowther, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Petrel" in 1851 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lowther 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:

Lowther Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Lowther, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Mr. Lowther, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 17th March 1841 13
Mr Lowther, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Lady Nugent
St George Lowther, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1843
Miss Louisa Lowther, (b. 1853), aged 14, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lowther 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. 14

Lowther Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Luke Lowther, who settled in Barbados in 1679
Thomas Lowther, who settled in Jamaica in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Lowther (post 1700) +

Robert Carswell "Bobby" Lowther Sr., (1923-2015), the only two-sport All-American athlete at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
George F. Lowther (1913-1975), American radio script writer
Anthony Edward Lowther DL, JP (1896-1949), Viscount Lowther, English courtier and soldier, Page of Honour (1908-1913), Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland (1939-1945)
Sir Thomas Lowther (1699-1745), 2nd Baronet, English landowner
Lancelot Edward Lowther (1867-1953), English military officer, Deputy Lieutenant of Cumberland (1891-) and Westmorland (1892-), succeeded as 6th Earl of Lonsdale in 1944
Colonel Claude William Henry Lowther (1872-1929), English Conservative politician
Hugh Clayton Lowther (1949-2021), 8th Earl of Lonsdale, British aristocrat, eldest son of James Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale
James Lowther (1736-1802), British peer, created 1st Earl of Lonsdale in 1784
Patricia Louise Lowther (1935-1975), Canadian poet
Sir John Henry Lowther (1793-1868), 2nd Baronet, Tory MP in the British Parliament
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lowther family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. James Lowther, British Ship write 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 15

North Sea Flood

Thomas J. Lowther, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

The Lowther 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: Magistratus indicat virum
Motto Translation: The magistracy shows the man.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) AMITY HALL 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850AmityHall.gif
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PETREL 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Petrel.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html