Blower History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Blower is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a blower, or one who plays the horn. 1
Early Origins of the Blower family
The surname Blower was first found in Staffordshire at Bloore-in-Tyrley or Blore Heath, a sparsely populated area of farmland best known as the site of the first major battle in the English Wars of the Roses fought on 23 September 1459. 2
This parish in the north division of the hundred of Totmonslow, which was known as Blore or Blore-Roy dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Blora 3 and literally meant "place at the swelling or hill." 4
Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on a phonetic appreciation of the names. Randulf Bla was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1202 and later in Huntingdonshire, Roger Blowe was listed there in 1271. Up in Yorkshire, the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 included an entry for Thomas Blaue. 5
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following entries for the family: Henry Blowe, Cambridgeshire; Isabella Blowe, Oxfordshire; and William Blowe, Oxfordshire. 1
In Somerset, there was one entry, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III), that of John Blowe. 6
Early History of the Blower family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blower research. Another 303 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1459, 1548, 1574, 1575, 1618, 1639, 1640, 1648, 1649, 1662, 1669, 1701, 1708 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Blower History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blower Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Blower are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Blower include Bloor, Blore, Bloare, Bloore, Blour, Bloure and others.
Early Notables of the Blower family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Samuel Blower (d. 1701), was an English nonconformist divine, of Magdalen College, Oxford who was ejected in 1662 from Woodstock in Oxfordshire. 7
Blower migration to the United States +
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Blower or a variant listed above:
Blower Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Cody Blower, who landed in Virginia in 1623 8
- John Blower, who landed in Virginia in 1623 8
- Mr. Thomas Blower, (b. 1585), aged 50, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Truelove" arriving in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 9
- Geo Blower, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 8
- John Blower, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 8
Blower Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- James Blower, who landed in America in 1760 8
Blower Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Katharina Blower, who landed in Brazil in 1834 8
- Maria Eva Blower, who arrived in America in 1852 8
- C H Blower, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1860 8
- Joseph Blower, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1884 8
Blower 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:
Blower Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Rosa Blower, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Florida" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd August 1884 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Blower (post 1700) +
- Christine Blower (b. 1951), English trade unionist, eleventh General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers
- Tom Blower (1914-1955), British swimmer who became the first swim the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland
Citations +
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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 6th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html