Back to The Origin of the Bowles Name

Information from a posting by:  Donald Soward <dddmp@earthlink.net>  quoting Family History: VA Genealogies #2 1600-1800 Genealoglies of Virginia Families Volume IV the Bowles, Anderson,and Shelton families as related to William Sims Of Union Co. SC.

The names of Bowles or Boles is claimed by some authorities to have been of Saxon origin and derived from the occupation of its first bearer as Steward or Boll-man. Other claim that the names was derived from the Norse bauli, meaning "bull" or from the Viking Bolla, who is said to have gone with the conquering Norsemen to England in the ninth century. Still other authorities claim that the Norman origin and derived from one of the followers of William the Conqueror in the conquest of England in 1066, who was called BOLE or BOLLE, possibly having taken his name from the town of Bouelles, in Normandy.

This name is found on ancient records in the various forms: BOLLA--BOLLE--BOEL--BOLLO--BOWLE--BOLLES--BOWLS--BOOLES--BOLES-and BOWLES, of which the last two are the forms most generally accepted today.  Families bearing this name were to be found at early dates in English counties of: LINCOLN--KENT--NOTTINGHAM--HEREFORD--HERFORD--BERKS--WILTS--MIDDLESEX--SUFFOLK--WARWICK--LEICESTER,--NORTHAMPTON--STAFFORD--OXFORD
and LONDON and were, for the most park, of the landed gentry and nobility of Great Britain.

Among the members of the Virginia Company in 1620 was Sir George BOWLES, the renowned Load Mayor of London. The first of the name to emigrate to America was John BOWLES, who said to have come from England to Jamestown, Virginia, with Sir Thomas Gates and Sir George Somers in 1610. He return to England in 1612, sailing in the ship "George". In 1621, he came over again with Sir Francis Wyatt, who arrived in that
year with 1200 planters. This John BOWLES owned a plantation on the east shores of Warwick Cove. His will probated July 1-1664, show that he was a man of some landed wealth. He is believed to have had only one son, named John. John 3rd is said to have married a Welsh lady named Sarah Knight.  Another tradition is to the effect that it was John 1st who married Sarah Knight.

See The Bowles of Canada

See  The Bowles of Ireland

See The Bowles of Great Britain

This page was last updated 10/18/18