Proute History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Proute is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Proute was a Norman name used for a proud, haughty, or brave being derived from the Old French word prous.

Early Origins of the Proute family

The surname Proute was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. However, some remained in Normandy as Drogon Prose was listed there in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae (1180-1195.) 1

Early History of the Proute family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Proute research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the year 1608 is included under the topic Early Proute History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Proute Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Prouse, Prouze, Prowse, Prowze, Prouz, Prowes and others.

Early Notables of the Proute family

More information is included under the topic Early Proute Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Proute family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Proute name or one of its variants: George Prouse who settled in Virginia in 1624; Emblence Prouse settled in Virginia in 1639; Germaine Prouse settled in New York in 1775; John Prowse settled in Virginia in 1639..

Citations +

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)