Stowell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Stowell family
The surname Stowell was first found in Gloucestershire of Somerset where they held a family seat from ancient times as Lords of the manor of Catherston. West Stowell in Wiltshire is now known as Alton-Priors.
These place names mean "stony spring or stream," from the Old English "stan" + "well." 1
The Somerset is the oldest location dating back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Stanwelle. 2
One of the first records of the family was Geoffrey de Stawelle, Somerset, 1 Edward III (recorded during the first year's reign of King Edward III.) 3
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Richard de Stawell, Wiltshire; and Lecia Stowelle, Cambridgeshire. 4
Some of the family were also found in Jacobstow, Cornwall. "The manor of Penhallam, which extends into the parishes of Poundstock, Week St. Mary, and Boyton, was formerly in the family of Newell of Somerset. Norden describes it as the seat of Sir John Stawell, then lately deceased. Lysons, when speaking of Penhallam, supposes that it came into the family of Sir John Stawell, by a match with the heiress of a Cornish family called Beaupre, or Belloprato. This circumstance probably drew this family from Somersetshire, and occasioned their settling in Cornwall." 5
Early History of the Stowell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stowell research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1599, 1644, 1662, 1683, 1689, 1760 and 1910 are included under the topic Early Stowell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Stowell Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Staywell, Stawell, Stawel, Staywel, Stewel, Stewell, Stowell, Stowel, Stowle and many more.
Early Notables of the Stowell family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Sir John Stawell or Stowell (1599-1662), an English Member of Parliament and Royalist Governor of Taunton during the English Civil War. He was second but eldest surviving son of Sir John Stawell of Co...
Stowell Ranking
In the United States, the name Stowell is the 5,644th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Stowell family to Ireland
Some of the Stowell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Stowell migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Stowell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Samuel Stowell, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1635 7
- Ralph Stowell who settled in Virginia in 1641
- Jonath Stowell, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 7
- Joseph Stowell, who landed in Virginia in 1656 7
- James Stowell, who settled in Virginia in 1670
Stowell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Barth Stowell, who landed in Virginia in 1705 7
- Caleb Stowell, who arrived in South Carolina in 1728 7
Stowell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- L Stowell, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
- C. Stowell settled in San Francisco, California in 1862
Stowell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- George Stowell, who landed in Arkansas in 1903 7
Stowell migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Stowell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Stowell, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Stowell 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:
Stowell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. David Stowell, (b. 1850), aged 20, English dairy man, from Essex travelling from London aboard the ship "Ramsey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th June 1870 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Stowell (post 1700) +
- M. Louise Stowell (1861-1930), American painter, illustrator, craftsperson, and teacher
- Joe Stowell (b. 1926), American basketball coach and broadcaster
- Thomas Blanchard Stowell (1846-1927), American educator, founding dean of the University of Southern California's School of Education (1918)
- William Stowell (1885-1919), American silent film actor who died in a train crash in South Africa en route to a filming location
- William Hendry Stowell (1800-1858), Manx dissenting divine, born at Douglas, Isle of Man, son of William Stowell
- Hugh Stowell (1799-1865), Manx divine, elder son of the Rev. Hugh Stowell, author of a ‘Life of Bishop Thomas Wilson,’ born at Douglas, Isle of Man
- Tina Stowell, Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Conservative member of the House of Lords
- Thomas Edmund Alexander Stowell CBE (1885-1970), British physician
- Thomas Stowell Phelps (1822-1901), United States Navy officer, eponym of the destroyer USS Phelps (DD-360)
- Hugh Stowell Scott (d. 1903), English novelist
The Stowell Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: En parole Je vis
Motto Translation: I live on the word.
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- 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.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- "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 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html