Bowles
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Bowles Genealogy
There were many early variants of Bowles, Bolle, Bolles, Bowls, Boals, Bowle, Boles, and finally Bowles. Some Bowles were once Bould and Boulds, names which have remained as a separate regional form. Boles and Bowles both continued into the nineteenth century. But now Bowles is generally the standard spelling.
England. Three branches that are said to derive from the original Bolles are Gosberton, Bromley/Chislehurst, and Osberton.
The Gosberton country seat was Scampton Hall in Lincolnshire. There is early evidence, in the 1450’s, of their presence in Kent. The draw of London and its trade opportunities appeared to be the reason. A possibly related branch also settled in Kent in the late 1500’s. Proximity to political power in London enabled William Bowle and his successors to secure and hold onto the oddly named “Groom of the Tents and Pavilions,” in essence an exclusive license to supply the army with tents. The third Bowles branch was started by William Bolles from Suffolk, one of the commissioners executing the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Out of these profits, he acquired property at Osberton near Worksop in Nottinghamshire.
While some of these Bowles faded away in time, many remained to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves in London during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Some stuck to trade. Others sought adventures abroad Enterprising Bowles headed for Virginia and Maryland and later to the Caribbean.
Ireland. However, the earliest emigration was to Ireland, following Cromwell as "adventurers for land in Ireland." They generally remained staunch Protestants in a Catholic land. As sectarian strife mounted in the early nineteenth century, many departed for Canada, first to the Maritime provinces and then to Ontario.
America. The Bowles in America were first of the merchant/planter class, initially in Virginia and later, as opportunities there diminished, in the south. Other Bowles did arrive and settled elsewhere. But the Federal Census of 1920 showed that the old slave-owning states of Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri still had the largest number of Bowles in the United States.
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Alleyne Bolle of Bolle Hall in Lincolnshire is the reputed founder of the Bowles family.
Sir John Bolle was the daring adventurer for Queen Elizabeth in the attack on Cadiz in 1595.
Thomas Bowles started his renowned printing and publishing business in London in the 1690’s which was passed down over four generations.
John “Chief” Bowles’ father was Scotch/Irish, his mother Cherokee. He became a Cherokee Chief, but was massacred with his people by Texan troops in the Battle of the Neches in 1839.
Paul Bowles from New York achieved success as a musical composer and later, after he had moved to Tangier in 1950, as a writer and author of such novels as The Sheltering Sky. His wife Jane Bowles was also an accomplished writer.
Select Bowles Today
Site Map: Select NamesThere were many early variants of Bowles, Bolle, Bolles, Bowls, Boals, Bowle, Boles, and finally Bowles. Some Bowles were once Bould and Boulds, names which have remained as a separate regional form. Boles and Bowles both continued into the nineteenth century. But now Bowles is generally the standard spelling.
The recognized forebear of the Bowles line is Alleyne Bolle who resided in the 1200’s in Bolle Hall on the head of the Swine river in Lincolnshire. He is possibly of Norman descent and the name originating from Bouelles in Normandy. Other suggestions are that the name is of Saxon origin, Boll meaning steward, or comes from a Viking named Bolla.
Select Bowles Resources on The
Internet
- The Bowles Name Website. Genealogy of the Bowles name.
- Bowles Families in Canada. Websites on Rootsweb freepages/B - The Bowles Family in Canada.
- Bowles
African Americans. Virginia, North Carolina and South
Carolina - Beverly to Brogdon.
- Bowles Group. UK Bowles discussion group.
- Bowles DNA Project. DNA
study.
England. Three branches that are said to derive from the original Bolles are Gosberton, Bromley/Chislehurst, and Osberton.
The Gosberton country seat was Scampton Hall in Lincolnshire. There is early evidence, in the 1450’s, of their presence in Kent. The draw of London and its trade opportunities appeared to be the reason. A possibly related branch also settled in Kent in the late 1500’s. Proximity to political power in London enabled William Bowle and his successors to secure and hold onto the oddly named “Groom of the Tents and Pavilions,” in essence an exclusive license to supply the army with tents. The third Bowles branch was started by William Bolles from Suffolk, one of the commissioners executing the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Out of these profits, he acquired property at Osberton near Worksop in Nottinghamshire.
While some of these Bowles faded away in time, many remained to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves in London during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Some stuck to trade. Others sought adventures abroad Enterprising Bowles headed for Virginia and Maryland and later to the Caribbean.
Ireland. However, the earliest emigration was to Ireland, following Cromwell as "adventurers for land in Ireland." They generally remained staunch Protestants in a Catholic land. As sectarian strife mounted in the early nineteenth century, many departed for Canada, first to the Maritime provinces and then to Ontario.
America. The Bowles in America were first of the merchant/planter class, initially in Virginia and later, as opportunities there diminished, in the south. Other Bowles did arrive and settled elsewhere. But the Federal Census of 1920 showed that the old slave-owning states of Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri still had the largest number of Bowles in the United States.
Select Bowles Names
Alleyne Bolle of Bolle Hall in Lincolnshire is the reputed founder of the Bowles family.
Sir John Bolle was the daring adventurer for Queen Elizabeth in the attack on Cadiz in 1595.
Thomas Bowles started his renowned printing and publishing business in London in the 1690’s which was passed down over four generations.
John “Chief” Bowles’ father was Scotch/Irish, his mother Cherokee. He became a Cherokee Chief, but was massacred with his people by Texan troops in the Battle of the Neches in 1839.
Paul Bowles from New York achieved success as a musical composer and later, after he had moved to Tangier in 1950, as a writer and author of such novels as The Sheltering Sky. His wife Jane Bowles was also an accomplished writer.
Select Bowles Today
The Origin/Spread of Surnames