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Origins Available: |
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The name Plough is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Plowden, a hamlet in the parish of Lydbury North, Shropshire. The local dates back to 1252 when it was first listed as Plaueden and literally means "valley where play or sport takes place," from the Old English words "plaga" + "denu." 1
The surname Plough was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Plowden. Traditionally, they held these estates at the time of the Norman Conquest, but the first record is of Sir Roger Plowden who accompanied King Richard on his Crusade to the Holy Land and was present at the siege of Acre (1191). For his gallantry he was awarded by the King an augmentation of two fleur-des-lys on his Coat of Arms, a distinction the family has borne ever since. 2 "The name occurs upon all county records from the reign of Henry III." 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plough research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1518, 1562, 1585, 1590, 1594, 1632, 1649, 1659, 1664 and 1829 are included under the topic Early Plough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Plough were recorded, including Plowden, Plowdon, Ploughden, Ploweden, Plough and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Plough family emigrate to North America: