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Mowbray History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Mowbray History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Mowbray family, who lived in Northumberland. The name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Montbrai, in La Manche, Normandy. 1

However, another source claims the family claim descent from "the ancient barony of Mowbray, called by Odericus Vitalis Molbraium, [which] was identical with the village of Monbrai, in the canton or Perci, an arrondissement of St. Lo in Normandy." 2

Early Origins of the Mowbray family

The surname Mowbray was first found in Northumberland where Geoffrey de Montbray (d. 1093,) Bishop of Coutances was a warrior, administrator and close assistant of William the Conqueror.

After the death of William, Geoffrey settled in Bristol, (as listed in the Domesday Book) where he built a strong castle but frequently feuded with William II." A strong castle was erected [at Thirsk in the North Riding of Yorkshire] about 979 by the family of Mowbray, where Roger de Mowbray in the time of Henry II., having become a confederate of the King of Scotland, erected his standard against his lawful sovereign: upon the suppression of the revolt, this fortress, with many others, was entirely demolished by order of the king." 3

The same Roger de Mowbray also held Bambrough Castle in Northumberland. "After the Norman Conquest it was held by Robert de Mowbray, on whose insurrection against William Rufus it was besieged, and, after an obstinate defence, surrendered to that monarch, who threatened, unless it were given up, to put out the eyes of Mowbray, who had been taken prisoner." 3

The markettown and parish of Kirby-Malzeard in the West Riding of Yorkshire was another ancient family seat. "This place was the property of the Mowbray family, afterwards dukes of Norfolk, whose castle here was demolished in the reign of Henry II., and one of whom, John de Mowbray, obtained for the inhabitants in the reign of Edward I. a charter for a weekly market and two annual fairs." 3

"The Mowbrays used the mulBerry as their rebus. Thomas Duke of Norfolk, at his famous duel with the Duke of Hereford at Coventry, rode a 'horse barded with crimson velvet embroydered with Lions of silver and mulberry trees.' " 4

Early History of the Mowbray family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mowbray research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1225, 1297, 1314, 1365, 1366, 1377, 1385, 1396, 1397, 1399, 1405, 1444, 1475, 1476, 1880 and 1932 are included under the topic Early Mowbray History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mowbray Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Mowbray, Moubray, Mowbrey, Moubrey and others.

Early Notables of the Mowbray family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Thomas Mowbray (1365-1399), an English nobleman, created 1st Duke of Norfolk in 1397, by King Richard II of England

Mowbray Ranking

In the United States, the name Mowbray is the 13,207^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Mowbray migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Mowbray or a variant listed above:

Mowbray Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Arthur Mowbray, who settled in South Carolina in 1746

Mowbray Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Mowbray, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 6
W Mowbray, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 6
Laura Mowbray, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 6
Andrew, Hugh, Robert, Thomas, and William Mowbray, who all arrived at Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860

Mowbray migration to Australia +

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

Mowbray Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Jane Mowbray who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Aurora" on 22nd April 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

Mowbray 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:

Mowbray Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alexander Mowbray, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
Mr. W. Mowbray, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 8
Mrs. Mowbray, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 8
William Mowbray, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Midlothian" in 1859

Contemporary Notables of the name Mowbray (post 1700) +

Calvin W Mowbray, American politician, Mayor of Cambridge, Maryland from 1960-1964
Ethel Jones Mowbray (d. 1948), American co-founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African-American women
Henry Siddons Mowbray (1858-1928), American artist
Alan Mowbray (1896-1969), English-born, American actor
Joel Mowbray, American columnist
Lincoln J. Mowbray, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Delaware County, 1911 9
G. W. Mowbray Sr., American politician, Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1903-04 9
Guy Nicholas Mowbray (b. 1972), English football commentator on British television
Anthony Mark "Tony" Mowbray (b. 1963), English former professional football player
Malcolm Mowbray (1949-2023), British screenwriter and television and film director, born in Knebworth, England, known for A Private Function (1984), Meeting Spencer (2011) and The Revengers' Comedies (1998)
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Mowbray family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. John Henry Mowbray (b. 1904), British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 10

Citations +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html