ROUVRAY Family Name History

The French surname Rouvray is believed to be of two origins. Firstly it is a place name near which the original bearer could have lived or owned land. There are many villages called Rouvray in France with a concentration in the North of the country.

Secondly Rouvray is a variant of the surname Rouvre, which is a topographic name for a person who lived by a notable oak tree or in an oak forest. Rouvre is also the old French word for (red) oak. There is a forest called Rouvray near St-Etienne in northern France known locally as Bois de Rouvray, St-Etienne.

Rouvrays came to England from the 16 th century onwards as Protestant Calvinists or Huguenots fleeing persecution from Catholic France. Huguenots had long been a feared and hated Protestant minority and in 1572 in Paris their homes were attacked and pillaged and many brutally murdered. An estimated 40,000 Huguenots were killed this way throughout France which resulted in about 50,000 of them fleeing to England, predominantly London. Their skills in weaving, gold- and silver-smithing, commerce, science and the arts made them well suited to the opportunities the capital had to offer.

To help trace Huguenot ancestry the Huguenot library was established in London in 1957. The earliest reference to the name in this library is of a Jacques de Jaucourt, Lord de Rouvray who was elected Lord Deputy-General of the Protestant churches at Saumur in 1611. Lord is a translation of Seigneur, which was a territorial title (i.e., Lord of the Manor) and not inherited. However many refugees retained their territorial titles as family names in the hope they may one day be able to return home.

From about 1770 a definitive ascendant to the modern day Rouvrays has been established. His name is Joseph Rouveray and a comprehensive family tree of his descendants now exists. Refer to the Rouvray Family Tree for further details.

Two of his sons, James Alexander and Louis are direct ascendants of respectively the UK and Australian family branches.

James Alexander was born 1812 in London and was a carpenter. At some point his name changes from Rouveray to Rouvray. He emigrated from the UK (Liverpool) for Australia (Melbourne) in April 1854 aboard a ship named „The James Carson“, the journey taking three months. The existence of this large separate branch was only realized in the UK in 1985 and a traceable link back to a joint common ancestor took until 2003 to establish.

He fathered a total of 12 children between 1835 with his wife Frances Emma. Three of these Elizabeth, Friederick and Louis died very young. A further girl named Mary Ann (same name as James Alexander’s sister in law) died on board ship during the voyage to Australia. James Alexander died at Windsor, Prahran, Victoria in 1869 aged 56. His remaining 8 children all survived to old age in Australia.

The system of transporting prisoners to the Australian colonies began in 1788 and continued until 1868. Transportation to New South Wales, however, only continued until 1840. Victoria became a separate colony in 1851 and belonged to New South Wales before then. Prisoners where placed aboard specially equipped convict ships and were transported either to Sydney or Hobart. The emigration of James Alexander and family in 1854 was therefore not part of any convict shipment.

One of James Alexander’s sons Alfred Andrew, born 1849 was only four years old upon arrival in Australia. He became a printer's compositor at Prahran then a Chief collector of Customs at Echuca and also a Grand Master of the I.O.O.F lodge. He fathered 10 children between 1874 and 1891, 8 of whom survived into old age. He died in 1906, like his father at the age of 56.

Given that the Rouvray emigration took place in 1854 this means the year 2004 has been the 150th anniversary of that event!

Today Rouvrays are to be found in France (about 400), Australia (about 150), England (about 40) and a couple in Germany. It is, unfortunately, dwindling in number, especially in the UK and Germany. The Geographical Spread option gives more information about the known Rouvray population density around the world.

Further information can be obtained by emailing the following address: albert.rouvray@ntlworld.com or webmaster@rouvray.com