Contents [hide]

Sowerby History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Sowerby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Sowerby surname evolved from any of several places so named in Northern England. The place name comes from the Old Norse "saurr," meaning "ground," and "the Old English "byr," meaning farm. 1 2

Alternatively, the name could have originated in the far south of England, specifically Cornwall and Devon where could have been derived from the Middle English personal name Soby. "It could also derive from the rare Old French name Sob(b)o, a pet form of ancient Germanic names like Sudbald and Sudbert (composed of the elements sud- 'south' + -bald 'bold' and -bert 'bright'). A habitational name from a shortened form of Sobbery, a Middle English form of Sodbury, Gloucestershire, is also formally possible but no evidence has been found that definitely links the two names. This surname is found in Cornwall from the late 13th century." 3

Early Origins of the Sowerby family

The surname Sowerby was first found in the North Riding of Yorkshire at Sowerby, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Thirsk, wapentake of Birdforth. Another chapelry named Sowerby can be found in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 4 Both date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when they were both recorded as Sorebi at that time. 5

Castle Sowerby is a civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England and it is here that Odierna de Sourebi was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1195. Years later, Richard Surby was listed in London in 1381 and in the same year, William Sourby was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls. 6

Also in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, we found Thomas de Sawreby; and Johannes de Sawreby. 7

"Sowerby is the name of parishes and townships in the North and West Ridings, in Lancashire, and Cumberland. Between the reigns of Charles II. and George I. three Thomas Sowerbys were buried in the minister yard, Ripon. Soureby was a Yorkshire surname in the reign of Edward I.. The Sowerbys are also represented in the counties of Cumberland, Durham (around Darlington), and Lincoln." 3

Today, the variants Sower and Sowers is an abbreviated form of the name Sowersby. 6

Early History of the Sowerby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sowerby research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1609, 1699, 1757, 1787, 1788, 1811, 1812, 1822, 1825, 1831, 1843, 1844, 1847, 1852, 1854, 1871, 1884 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Sowerby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sowerby Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Sowerby has been spelled many different ways, including Sowerby, Sowerbie, Sowersby, Sorebi, Soreby, Soureby, Sowerbutts, Sourbutts, Sorbutt, Sowers and many more.

Early Notables of the Sowerby family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

James Sowerby (1757-1822) was a British naturalist and illustrator, whose sons would continue his work. He was the son of John Sowerby (descendant of an old border family through the Yorkshire branch)...
His eldest son, James de Carle Sowerby (1787-1871), naturalist and artist, the eldest son of James Sowerby [q. v.], was born at Stoke Newington on 5 June 1787. George Brettingham Sowerby [q. v.] was...
George Brettingham Sowerby the Elder (1788-1854), the conchologist and artist, was second son of James Sowerby [q. v.] and brother of James de Carle Sowerby [q. v.], and was born in Lambeth on 12 Aug...
George Brettingham Sowerby the younger (1812-1884), conchologist and artist, eldest son of the preceding, was born in Lambeth on 25 March 1812. He was educated at Harrow, and afterwards assisted his f...
Henry Sowerby (1825-1891), second son of G. B. Sowerby the elder, was born in Kensington on 28 March 1825. He was educated at Bickerdike's school, Kentish Town, and University College, Gower Street. F...

Sowerby migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Sowerbys to arrive in North America:

Sowerby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Sowerby who settled in Philadelphia in 1843
William Sowerby, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1853 8
John Sowerby, aged 30, who settled in America from Northumberland, in 1893
William Sowerby, aged 32, who immigrated to America, in 1893

Sowerby Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Thomas Herbert Sowerby, aged 40, who landed in America from London, in 1903
Daniel Andrew Sowerby, aged 31, who immigrated to America from Carlisle, England, in 1907
Mary Sowerby, aged 28, who settled in America from Castledouglas, Scotland, in 1908
William Sowerby, aged 28, who landed in America from Penwrith, England, in 1909
Charles Sowerby, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sowerby migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sowerby Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Thomas Sowerby, aged 53, who settled in Vancouver, Canada, in 1918

Sowerby migration to Australia +

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

Sowerby Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. John Sowerby, (Thomlinson, Sewell), English convict who was convicted in Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9

Sowerby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Sowerby, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Sowerby (post 1700) +

Leo Sowerby (1895-1968), American composer and church musician, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946
Paul R. Sowerby, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Farmington Hills, Michigan, 1995 11
Isaac Sowerby, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska territorial House of Representatives 1st District, 1917-22 11
James Sowerby (1757-1822), English naturalist and illustrator, born in London, son of John Sowerby (descendant of an old border family through the Yorkshire branch) and Arabella, his wife
George Brettingham Sowerby the Elder (1788-1854), British naturalist, illustrator, and conchologist, born in Lambeth, second son of James Sowerby
Arthur de Carle Sowerby (1885-1954), British naturalist, explorer, writer, and publisher in China
Frederick Oliver Newgent "Fred" Sowerby Sr. (1948-1976), Track and Field athlete from Antigua and Barbuda at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Mark Crispin Rake Sowerby (b. 1963), the Acting Bishop of Chichester and Bishop of Horsham
Shaun Sowerby (b. 1978), South African rugby union footballer
George Brettingham Sowerby III (1843-1921), British conchologist, publisher, and illustrator
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Sowerby family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Curzon Sowerby (b. 1915), English Writer serving for the Royal Navy from Orpington, Kent, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 12

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Sowerby, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
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 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html