Our Roots

Our earliest record of the Towndrow name is before 1500. Before that, we get mired down in variations on the name, which makes it so much harder to trace back Towndrow origins. Theoretically though, we can trace how the surname became first ‘mutated’ from a Townrow, Townrowe, Townerow, Townroe, Tounrow, Towndro or Towndroe.

Many of these are listed as residents in what is now Derbyshire / Leicestershire / Nottinghamshire / Yorkshire in the earlier 1500s and beyond. There are also records in East London at that time.

Origin of the Towndrow Name

“I was led to believe that an architect designed London city dwellings following the Black Death. The housing had each floor wider than the one below it, reason being the prevention of night soil from running down the building. This, coupled with new open flowing sewers running down the middle of the road, led to improved sanitary conditions whilst at the same time increasing density of occupancy. The architect responsible for this was knighted Sir Townsrow or Town Row. BUT the fire in Pudding Lane some years later caused devastation due to a fundamental design error. Because the roofs got closer with each successive floor that was added, after many decades the rooftops touched, causing the rapid spread of the Great Fire. Shortly afterwards, the family changed its name to Towndrow to avoid notoriety.” from Steve Towndrow of Manchester

This definition has also been found : TOWNDROW (British). “Town row” (i.e.  street). 

The Towndrow Coat Of Arms

On 4th April 1826 a grant of armorial bearings was made to Henry Payne of Newark, County of Leicester, England. Henry Payne had married Elizabeth “late the only surviving child and heir of Edward Towndrow late of the Town and County of the Town of Nottingham” (both deceased) and wished, “out of affectionate regard to their memory” that arms be assigned to Towndrow.
The grant made by the College of Arms to Henry Payne included the Towndrow arms, namely, “Gules a Cross Ermine between four Lozenges Or each charged with a Pellet” to be borne in the second and third quarters of the Payne shield.
As the arms of Towndrow were quartered with those of Payne, the arms of Towndrow, in strict heraldic law, could not be borne on their own or by anyone other than a male descendant of Henry Payne and Elizabeth but their adoption as the badge of the Towndrow global clan would be unlikely to be challenged.

The exact origin of the Towndrow name within the UK is hard to pinpoint to a specific time or place, although based on the extensive clustering there, Derbyshire is the most likely source. As the lineage has developed from the 1600s (and earlier), certain patterns of location are clear and these are;

Bedfordshire Towndrows

At least one Towndrow line was established in Bedfordshire the 1700s (if not earlier). Some of the earliest definite records include Robert born 1733. Most of the clustering of Towndrow residence is around Loughborough.

Derbyshire Towndrows

Derbyshire is generally seen as the ancestral home of the Towndow name and still has many Towndrows living there. It forms the root of most of the names on the Towndrow tree and may be where the name was born, evolving from “Townrow”, Townerow”, “Towneroe”, “Townroe” or “Townerowe”. 

Researching Derbyshire Towndrow in the 1700s and earlier is frought with difficulty, due to the proximity of so many similar names in a very close geographical area.

London Towndrows

At least one Towndrow line was established in London the 1500s (if not earlier). Some of the earliest definite records include Elizabeth born 1525. Most of the clustering of Towndrow residences are in East London, heading out into Essex, also central London, and more lately North London into Hertfordshire.

 

Malvern Towndrows

A Towndrow line was established in Worcestershire the 1800s (if not earlier) and many Towndrow records and gravestones can be found in and around Malvern.

 

Lancashire Towndrows

At least one Towndrow line was established in Lancashire the 1800s (if not earlier). Some of the earliest definite records include Samuel born 1802. Most of the clustering of Towndrow residences are in Liverpool, Hulme, Charlton and Manchester.

Nottinghamshire Towndrows

At least one Towndrow line was established in Nottinghamshire the 1700s (if not earlier). Some of the earliest definite records include Anne born 1620. Most of the clustering of Towndrow residence is around Newark and Nottingham.

Yorkshire Towndrows

A Towndrow line was established in Yorkshire the 1600s (if not earlier). Names as yet unconnected to the family tree database exist in the 1600s but one of the earliest definite records include “Johannis” (John) born around 1660. There are certainly lineages around Sheffield and Doncaster.