Fowls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Fowls is thought to be a nickname for 'the fowl.' "A West-country form of Fowell and Fowle, a fowl, a bird; compare Vivash and Visick for Fiveash and Fishwick. Especially compare Vowler for Fowler. The genitive of Vowle is Vowles; compare Brooks for Brook, or Williams for William, (a) Bapt. 'the son of Voel,' an ancient Welsh personal name. Just as Hoel became Howell, so Voel has become Vowell. It is probable that, so far as Vowell is concerned, (a) is the chief parent." 1

Early Origins of the Fowls family

The surname Fowls was first found in Devon where they held the manor of "Fowelscombe, in this parish, the original seat of the Fowel family, created baronets in 1661." 2

Normandy was their origin; of this there is no doubt. "John, Robert, Hugh, Geoffry de Fauvel [were found in] Normandy, 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). William Fauvel held from Oliver de Tracy, Devon, 1165. 3 The name changed to Fauel, Fouel, Voghill, Vowell, and Fowell; the family was seated at Bolters Combe, Devon, and from it descended the Baronets Fowell and the Vowells." 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following entries all in Oxfordshire: Walter le Fowel; Matthew le Fowel; and John le Fouel. 1

Early History of the Fowls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fowls research. Another 227 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1091, 1163, 1275, 1399, 1510, 1538, 1578, 1586, 1593, 1598, 1600, 1608, 1609, 1619, 1620, 1623, 1640, 1646, 1648, 1654, 1656, 1659, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1674, 1677, 1689 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Fowls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fowls Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Fowls has undergone many spelling variations, including Fowell, Fowl, Fowall, Fowel, Phowel, Phowell, Vowell, Voules, Vowels, Vowels, Fowls, Fuggle, Foul, Vowl and many more.

Early Notables of the Fowls family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Edmund Fowell, 1st Baronet (1593-1674), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648 and in 1656; Edmund Fowell (c. 1598-1664), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1646 and 1660; Sir John Fowell, 2nd Baronet (1623-1677), an English politician who sat in the House...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fowls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fowls migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fowls were among those contributors:

Fowls Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Fowls, aged 25, who arrived in New England in 1635 5
Joan Fowls, who landed in Rhode Island in 1635 5
William Fowls, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1637 5
George Fowls, who arrived in New England in 1638 5
Thomas Fowls, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1639 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fowls Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lewis Fowls, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 5
James Fowls, aged 43, who landed in New York in 1812 5
Daniel Fowls, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1812 5

Fowls migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fowls Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Alexander Fowls, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 6

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)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SIR EDWARD PARRY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849SirEdwardParry.htm