| ![Show Contents]() Plowright History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of PlowrightWhat does the name Plowright mean? The ancient name of Plowright finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who worked as the ploughwright, a person who built ploughs. 1 2 3 Occupational names frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames. Early Origins of the Plowright familyThe surname Plowright was first found in Cambridgeshire, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 record William le Plowritte as holding lands there at that time. Later at Wakefield in Yorkshire, Robert le Plogwryth was listed in 1285 and Baldwyn le Ploghwright was found in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1297. 4 The Writs of Parliament list William le Ploughwryte in 1307. Testamenta Eboracensia (Surtees Society) lists Catherine Ploughwright, Yorkshire, but no date was given. 1 In Scotland, the name had a similar occupational meaning, but "plowwryte is defined 'carrucarius.' c. 1440. William Plewryght is recorded in Thornescheillis in 1649 (Pont). George Plowright, indweller in Cunyngham Baidland in 1662 is probably George Plewright, witness at Ayr in the same year." 5 Early History of the Plowright familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plowright research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1649, 1662 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Plowright History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Plowright Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Plowright family name include Ploughright, Plowright, Plowrite, Ploughrite, Ploughwright and many more. Early Notables of the Plowright familyMore information is included under the topic Early Plowright Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Plowright migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Plowright surname or a spelling variation of the name include :
Plowright Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Mary Plowright, who settled in Maryland in 1726
Plowright Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Wm. G. Plowright, aged 22, originally from Turnbridge Wells, England, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Alaska" from Liverpool, England 6
Plowright Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Stuart Plowright, aged 34, originally from Sutton, England, who arrived in New York in 1908 aboard the ship "Minneapolis" from London, England 6
- Marsha Plowright, aged 33, originally from Nottingham, England, who arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 6
- Louise Plowright, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 6
| Contemporary Notables of the name Plowright (post 1700) | + |
- Walter Plowright CMG FRS FRCVS (1923-2010), English veterinary scientist, Professor at Royal Veterinary College, London; he developed a vaccine for rinderpest which became the first animal disease to be eliminated worldwide
- Hilda Plowright (1890-1973), English actress
- Rosalind Anne Plowright OBE (b. 1949), English opera singer
- David Ernest Plowright (1930-2006), English television executive and producer
- Dame Joan Ann Plowright OBE (1929-2025), Baroness Olivier of Brighton, British two-time Golden Globe Award and a Tony award winning actress, Member of the National Theatre Company, sister of David Plowright
- Louise Plowright (1956-2016), British actress, known for Mack the Knife (1989), Footballers Wive: Overtime (2005) and EastEnders (1985)
- Charles Bagge Plowright (1849-1910), British doctor and mycologist
- Jonathan Plowright (b. 1959), British concert pianist
- 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.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
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