Contents [hide]

Towers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Towers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Towers was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Towers family lived in Lancashire. Tower indicates that the original bearer lived in the tower of a castle. 1 In Normandy, the name was originally "De Tours, [having] descended from the Umfrevilles of Normandy, Barons of Prudhoe." 2 3

Early Origins of the Towers family

The surname Towers was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were the Lords of the manor of Lowick or Lofwick. William of Tours accompanied William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings, and was granted estates under tenant in Chief, the Baron of Kendall. Some branches of this distinguished line remained in Lancashire, while others branched south to Sowerby in Lincolnshire, and Isle of Ely. Others of this family adopted the name Lowick and Lofwick and remained in Lancashire.

"William de Lancaster, first Baron of Kendal, granted certain lands here, temp. Henry II., to the Towers family, who conveyed them to the Lofwics in the reign of John. The estate was held by the Lofwics until it passed by marriage, in the reign of Henry VI." 4

Gilbert le Tower was one of the first entries for the family in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, "the family of Towers of Inverleith descended from Walter Towers, a Frenchman, merchant in Edinburgh in the reign of David II and William de Tours, vallet of Scotland, was made prisoner in a battle on the March of Scotland, 1359." 6

Early History of the Towers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Towers research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1352, 1423, 1457, 1462, 1508, 1558, 1605, 1633, 1640 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Towers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towers Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Tower, Towers, Toure, Toures, Lowick, Lofwick and others.

Early Notables of the Towers family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Towers (d. 1649), English divine, Bishop of Peterborough, born in Norfolk7...

Towers Ranking

In the United States, the name Towers is the 7,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Towers family to Ireland

Some of the Towers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Towers migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Towers or a variant listed above:

Towers Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Towers, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" 9
John Towers, who landed in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1637 9
Francis Towers, who arrived in Maryland in 1638 9
Deborah Towers, who landed in Maryland in 1639 9
Elizabeth Towers, who landed in Virginia in 1654 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Towers Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Towers, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 9

Towers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Towers, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 9
Jesse Towers, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1864 9
Sarah Towers, aged 42, who landed in New York in 1864 9
Ann Towers, aged 15, who landed in New York in 1864 9
Charles Towers, who arrived in New York in 1864 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Towers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Towers Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Towers U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
Mr. William Towers U.E. who settled in Saint David Parish, New Brunswick c. 1784 10

Towers migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Towers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Towers, a stone-mason, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. James Towers, (Shelmerdine, Sheldon), English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Charles Towers, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1849 12

Towers migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Towers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Towers, aged 32, a gardener, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
Mary Towers, aged 33, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
Frederick Towers, aged 9, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
Arthur Towers, aged 7, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
Janet Towers, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Towers (post 1700) +

Richard Ephraim "Dick" Towers (1931-2023), American head football coach at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 1967 to 1973
Kevin S. Towers (1961-2018), American executive in Major League Baseball, General Manager of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2009 and for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010 to 2014
John Henry Towers (1885-1955), United States Navy admiral and pioneer naval aviator, eponym of the destroyer USS Towers (DDG-9)
Joshua Eric Towers (b. 1977), American former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher
William Hunter Towers (1861-1904), English-born, Welsh rugby union forward
Mark Anthony Towers (b. 1952), English former professional footballer
Julie Towers (b. 1976), Australian gold medalist field hockey player at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Cyril Towers (1906-1985), Australian rugby union player
George Hugh Neil Towers FRSC (1923-2004), Canadian botanist and Emeritus Professor of Botany at the University of British Columbia
Graham Ford Towers CC (1897-1975), the first Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1934 to 1954
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Navarino.htm