Prouze History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Early Origins of the Prouze family

Early History of the Prouze family

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

Prouze 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 Prouze family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

• Sir William Prouze of Devon

Migration of the Prouze 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 Prouze 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..