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Family Crest, see citation. No. 1 Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Rowell is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Rothwell, a place-name found in the counties of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire. [2]
The place-name Rothwell is derived from the Old English words roth, which means forest clearing, and wella, which means spring or stream. The place-name as a whole translates as "spring or stream in the summer clearing." [3] In the Domesday Book, [4] compiled in 1086, each of those places was originally listed as Rodewelle.
Early Origins of the Rowell Family
The surname Rowell was first found in Lincolnshire where one of the first listings of the family was Robert de Rothewelle who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Later in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls, Johanna de Rothewell and Johannes de Rothewell were listed. [2]
Citations
- House of Names. "Rowell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms" House of Names. Retrieved December 25, 2020, (https://www.houseofnames.com/)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)