Dowswell History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe ancestors of the bearers of the Dowswell family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in a region called Doda's well or spring. The surname Dowswell is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Early Origins of the Dowswell familyThe surname Dowswell was first found in Gloucestershire at Dowdeswell, an ancient Saxon village that dates back to the 8th century when it was known as Gogodeswellan. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, it was known as Dodesuuelle. 1 The place name literally means "spring or stream of a man called Dogod," from the Old English personal name + "wella." 2 The first record of the family was found here when William de Dowdeswelle was listed as a Knights Templar in 1185. 3 Years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William de Doudeswell, Oxfordshire and Robert de Doudeswell, Gloucestershire. 4 Early History of the Dowswell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dowswell research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1641, 1648, 1660, 1673, 1678, 1682, 1683, 1711, 1712, 1722, 1728 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Dowswell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dowswell Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Dowswell include Dodswell, Dodwell, Dodswall, Dodwall and others. Early Notables of the Dowswell familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Richard Dowdeswell (1601-1673), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660, an active Royalist in the... Migration of the Dowswell family to IrelandSome of the Dowswell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Dowswell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
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