Doward

This most interesting surname recorded in the spellings of Daward and Dowert, is of late medieval origin. Whether the surname is English or Welsh is open to conjecture, but certainly it is a "border" name and originates from any of three places known as Great Doward, Little Doward, near Whitchurch, Hereford, or Doward Hill, some three miles from Monmouth, and formerly in Wales. All these places are now called "localities", suggesting that they were originally occupied places that disappeared with the changes in farming practice in the 16th or 17th century. The name "Doward", means "two hills", from the old Welsh "dou", two and "garth", a hill. Great and Little Doward were recorded as "Lann Dougarth" in the charters known as "Liber Landavensis", in the year 1150. Placenames were one of the main factors in surname creation, and particularly so when a person left his or her original village and moved elsewhere. It being the easiest form of identification to call the people by the name of the place from whence they came. Early church registers recordings from the various counties include the marriage of Charles Dowert to Sarah Willson on April 4th 1707, at St. Nicholas church, Liverpool, the christening of Alice Doward on March 1st 1741, at Burtonwood, Lancashire, and that of Thomas and Mary Doward, witnesses at Aconbury Church, Herefordshire, on November 9th 1777. The London church registers record the christening of Mary Ann, Isabella and John Augustus and George Virgo, children of John and Ann Doward at St. Luke's, Chelsea, on June 6th 1830 on October 17th 1832; September 14th 1834, and November 6th 1836, respectively. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of John Doward, a witness at Burtonwood church, Lancashire, on November 9th 1690. This was during the reign of William and Mary, 1689 - 1693.