Rowlston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The tale of the name Rowlston begins with a family who lived in the lands or barony of Ralston, which are near Paisley in the county of Renfrew (now part of the Strathclyde region).

Early Origins of the Rowlston family

The surname Rowlston was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, at Ralston, (Gaelic: Baile Raghnaill) a small suburban settlement bordering onto the eastern edge of the town of Paisley. It is generally believed the place name Ralston takes its name from the ancient feudal estates of Ralphistoun (Ralph's town), named after the younger son of the Earl of Fife, and dates back to the early 12th century.

Later and further to the south, Rowlston was a hamlet in the parish of Mappleton, union of Skirlaugh, N. division of the wapentake of Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire. "This place, in Domesday Book called Roolfestone, belonged in the 15th century to a family of the local name, and, after passing through several other families." 1 This hamlet is now been formally amalgamated into the village and civil parish of Mappleton. Rowlstone is a parish and village in Herefordshire.

Early History of the Rowlston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rowlston research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1447, 1448, 1452, 1705 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rowlston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowlston Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Rowlston has been spelled Ralston, Ralstoun, Rowlston, Rowlstone and others.

Early Notables of the Rowlston family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rowlston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rowlston family to Ireland

Some of the Rowlston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rowlston migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Rowlston:

Rowlston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Rowlston and Lionel Rowlston, who landed in Virginia in 1623
Lionel Rowlston, aged 30, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Gods Gift" 2
Sionell Rowlston, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 2

The Rowlston Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et marte
Motto Translation: By fidelity and military service.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)