Blowers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Anglo-Saxon name Blowers comes from when its first bearer worked as a blower, or one who plays the horn. 1
Early Origins of the Blowers family
The surname Blowers 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 Blowers family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blowers 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 Blowers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blowers Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blowers include Bloor, Blore, Bloare, Bloore, Blour, Bloure and others.
Early Notables of the Blowers family
Distinguished members of the family include John Blow (1649-1708), an English Baroque composer and organist, appointed to Westminster Abbey in 1669. He "is said by all his biographers to have been born at North Colfingham, in Nottinghamshire, in 1648, but the registers of that parish...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blowers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Blowers migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blowers or a variant listed above:
Blowers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Blowers, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1654 7
Blowers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Brantonsky Blowers, aged 37, who landed in America from Ipswich, England, in 1907
- Charlotte Blowers, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Martins, England, in 1914
- Hilda Constance Blowers, aged 25, who landed in America from London, England, in 1915
- Sydney H Blowers, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1921
- Thomas Blowers, aged 43, who immigrated to the United States, in 1923
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Blowers migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Blowers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- William Blowers, aged 27, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Star Queen" 8
Blowers 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:
Blowers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Phillip Blowers, aged 20, a mason, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 9
- Freeman Blowers, aged 18, a mason, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Dorette" in 1874 9
- Mr. Philip Blowers, (b. 1854), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 10
Contemporary Notables of the name Blowers (post 1700) +
- Sampson Salter Blowers (1742-1842), American lawyer and jurist, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia (1797 to 1832)
- John G. Blowers Jr (1911-2006), American drummer of the swing era who performed with Louis Armstrong, Perry Como, Bing Crosby and many more
- Michael Roy Blowers (b. 1965), German-born, American former Major League Baseball third baseman
- Sean Blowers (b. 1961), British actor, best known for playing John Hallam in London's Burning (1988 to 1996)
- Andrew Francis Blowers (b. 1975), New Zealand rugby union player
Historic Events for the Blowers family +
HMS Royal Oak
- Arthur F. Blowers, British Paymaster Lieutenant Commander with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 11
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.
- 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)
- South Australian Register Monday 1st January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Star Queen 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/starqueen1854.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html