Rows History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The name Rows is rooted in the ancient Norman culture that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was a name for someone who was a person with red hair. Looking back even further, we found the name was originally derived from the Old French nickname le rous, meaning redhead. 1 Further to the north in Scotland, the name has a different meaning, specifically "row, signifies a low, small, narrow peninsula." 2

Early Origins of the Rows family

The surname Rows was first found in Norfolk where Turchil le Roux was granted lands by King William after his attendance upon him at Hastings. His son Ralph the Red (Roux) went with King Henry to the Crusades and held the Castle of Pont-echanfre near Bernai in Vexin Normandy. He died in the wreck of the "Blanche Neuf" with the King's two sons and their estates became divided. 3

Peter Rowe (died c.1401) was an Irish jurist who held the office of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland intermittently between 1388 and 1397. Whilehe was born in Ireland, he is thought to have been born to a family which was of English origin, but which had long been settled in Ireland.

In Somerset, England "Leighland, in the parish of Old Cleeve, was the property of the Poyntz family. From them it descended to the Rowes, in the reign of William III. John Rowe, as I learn from the parish register of Arlington, married Ursula Chi chester, on 25th November, 1697, yet left no issue; but to him William Widdicombe, Esq., devised his estate of Bickham, adjoining. Robert Rowe, the nephew of the said John, married Prudence Chichester, 15th August, 1706, and had several children; one of them, Elizabeth, became the wife of John Needham, of Hilston, county Monmouth." 4

Early History of the Rows family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rows research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1368, 1388, 1426, 1441, 1477, 1525, 1559, 1569, 1580, 1581, 1592, 1595, 1607, 1626, 1640, 1641, 1644, 1646, 1654, 1657, 1661, 1672, 1674, 1677, 1705, 1715, 1717, 1718, 1719, 1737, 1747 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Rows History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rows Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Rowe, Roe, Row and others.

Early Notables of the Rows family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Row or Rauf (fl. 1388) of Totnes, Devon, an English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Totnes in February 1388. Sir Thomas Roe (c. 1581-1644), was an English diplomat, Chancellor of the Order of the Garter; Sir Thomas Rowe, Lord Mayor of London in 1559; Owen Rowe, (c. 1592-1661), was an English haberdasher in London, one of the regicides of King Charles I; Sir William Rowe, was Lord Mayor of London in 1592; Sir Henry Rowe, was Lord Mayor of London in 1607; Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718), was an English poet and...
Another 159 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rows Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rows family to Ireland

Some of the Rows family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rows migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Rows or a variant listed above:

Rows Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Rows, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 5

Rows Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Rows, aged 35, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1848 5

The Rows 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: Innocens non timidus
Motto Translation: Innocent but not fearful.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. 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)