Lowthers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Lowthers reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Lowthers family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Lowthers family lived in Lowther, now in the civil parish in Eden District, Cumbria. Historically in Westmorland, Lowther was first recorded as Lauder c. 1175 and it thought to have been named from the River Lowther. [1] "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town, where carpet and linen manufactories were established." [2] "Lowther Castle, the residence of the family of that name, stands majestically in a park of 600 acres, and combines the grand effect of a fortification with the splendour of a palace; the fabric is modern, having been commenced in 1802, upon the site of the ancient Hall, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1720. " [2]
Early Origins of the Lowthers family
The surname Lowthers was first found in Westmorland, an area in the North East of England (now part of Cumbria,) where the family is "eminently a knightly family, traced by Brydges to Sir Gervase de Lowther, living in the reign of Henry III. Other authorities make Sir Hugh de Lowther, knight for this county, in the 28th of Edward I., as the first recorded ancestor; his great-grandson was at Agincourt in 1415." [3]
Lowther is a parish in Westmorland. "It formerly contained a village of the same name, which was demolished in 1682, by Sir John Lowther, who soon afterwards built another, called New-town." [2]
Important Dates for the Lowthers family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lowthers research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1215, 1588, 1593, 1583, 1659, 1626, 1640, 1605, 1675, 1628, 1660, 1628, 1668, 1641, 1693, 1655, 1700, 1696, 1692, 1713, 1723, 1589, 1660 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Lowthers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lowthers 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 Lowther, Louder, Lowder, Louther and others.
Early Notables of the Lowthers family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Lowther of Lowther, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1588; Gerard Lowther of Penrith, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1593; Sir John Lowther of Lowther Hall; Richard Lowther (ca. 1583-1659), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed 1626, Member of Parliament for Appleby 1640; Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet (1605-1675), an English lawyer, landowner, and politician who sat in the House of Commons...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lowthers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Lowthers family to Ireland
Some of the Lowthers family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Migration of the Lowthers 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 Lowthers name or one of its variants: Luke Lowther settled in Barbados in 1679; William Lowther settled in Virginia in 1635; Thomas Lowther settled in Jamaica in 1679; Joseph Lowther settled in New York in 1804..
^ Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lowthers (English)