William de Arcubus -- An Early Hero Inhabiting Bowes Castle?
There are online sources stating that the "Durham Bowes" line originates with a William de Arcubus (Arc > Bow > Bowes) placed in Bowes Castle with 500 archers at the time of William the Conqueror. But not only are many English Bowes probably not related to the "Durham Bowes" line as is commonly assumed, the accuracy of the William de Arcubus account of their origins cannot be true, at least in whole as it is passed down. In fact, the heralds begin the descendency of this line much later with Sir Adam Bowes who lived at the turn of the 14th century. [.5] The misleading William de Arcubus account begins, apparently, with the following mention in a 16th c work:
Hard by it is Stretlham seene, where dwelt for a long time the worshipfull familie of the Bowes, Knights, who from time to time in the greatest troubles have performed passing good service to Prince and Country, and derive their pedigree from William de Bowes, unto whom, as I have read, Alanus Niger Earle of Britaine and Richmond granted that he might give for his Armes the Scutcheon of Britain with three bent Bowes therein. [1]
An 1836 source continues the account and elaborates:
About the time of [William] the Conqueror... here was a town which, the tradition of the inhabitants states, was burned. It then belonged to the earls of Brittany and Richmond; the castle was built, as Mr. Horseley thinks, out of the ruins of the Roman fortress by Alan Niger [second earl of Richmond] who is said, in a manuscript belonging to the dissolved monastery of St. Mary's at York, placed therein, William, his relation, with five hundred archers, to defend it against some insurgents, in Cumberland and Westmoreland, confederated with the Scots, giving him for the device of his standard, the arms of Brittany, with three bows and a bundle of arrows, from whence both the castle and its commander derived their names, the former being called Bowe Castle, and the latter William de Arcubus .... Near this stands Stretlham, for a long time the seat of the famous and knightly family of the Bowes, or de Arcubus, who have often done great service to their king and country in times of extremity, their pedigree is from William de Arcubus, &c. [2]
The account gets repeated again in 1857. [3]
Fulco de Bowes Threatens William's Standing as Origin of Bowes Castle Name
But in 1890 Bulmer clarifies:
There is a tradition recorded in a MS. which belonged to the monastery of St. Mary, York, and related in the Bowes pedigree, that Alan Niger, Earl of Richmond, in defence of the honor against the men of Cumberland and Westmoreland, who rebelled against the Conqueror, and with Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland, adhered to the King of Scots, built for himself the tower of Bowes, and placed therein his cousin William with 500 archers, and gave him a shield with the arms of Brittany, and three bows over them; and a bundle of arrows for his crest, whence this William was afterwards called William de Arcubus. This done into English is Bowes (bows) which became the surname of his descendants. Unfortunately for the truth of the tradition, there is a glaring anachronism. Crests and coats of arms did not come into use in England till long after the time of Earl Alan. From the researches of General Harrison among the Pipe Rolls, it appears that the castle was begun by Henry II. in 1171, and completely finished in 1187 [note this is about 100 years after William the Conqueror], at a cost of £353. Osbert, son of Fulco de Bowes, was one of the King's commissioners for superintending the erection of the castle, and this appears to have been the only connection the family had with the fortress. They were, however, possessed of lands in Bowes at an early period, but it is from this Fulco de Bowes, rather than the traditional William de Arcubus, that their pedigree is to be traced [emphasis added]. [4]
In addition to the actual construction of the castle being recorded in the Pipe Rolls long after William the Conqueror, it's problematic that the source relied on for the account is a manuscript from St. Mary's monastery. In addition to it no longer existing, St. Mary's was known to be "famously decadent" [5] and corrupt [6], leading one to question the integrity of the manuscripts that were once there. In its favor, it was founded in William the Conqueror's time, so monks there could have had first-hand knowledge of events from that time forward. [5]
While it's impossible that 1) Bowes Castle was built in William the Conqueror's time, and 2) the "Durham Bowes" arms were first issued to someone in the 12th century, before coats of arms came into use, the "Durham Bowes" family does have a long history defending England's northern border from the Scots. Conceivably, a William de Arcubus or William Bowes was later placed in the tower with 500 archers, and conceivably his descendents became the notable "Durham Bowes" family. Then when Sir Adam Bowes was probably the first in the family to acquire a coat of arms, he was issued arms depicting three bows to commemorate this early family history.
So it's possible that both accounts–that of Fulco de Bowes and that William de Arcubus–are partly true? Could the king have built the castle and charged the local earl with placing someone therein, and later descendants embellished events by stating the crest was issued then and there?
What Does the Royal College of Arms Say?
A genealogist at the Royal College of Arms confirmed that there was no heraldry in the 12th c; it did not appear until about 1240. However, he said that does not prevent the story from being partly true; it was common, when they did introduce heraldry, for families to incorporate actual events from their past. Yet it was also common for families to employ made up or exaggerated past events. In addition, heraldic designers often used the applicant's surname as a guide to visual elements of the crest design. In our case the three bows would aptly represent the surname Bowes using this method, even if its origins were simply locational, referring to the village of Bowes or Bowes Parish.
This genealogist said that while there are no guarantees, a search of their records for the Bowes individual who requested the arms may turn up documentation indicating whether the story is true or not. The search is quoted at $700, since the College's member genealogists are unsalaried and there is no support from public funds. We welcome donations for this specific project!
For the time being we have no clear verification of the story of William de Arcubus, while we have good reason to believe--but not proof--that it is at least partly inaccurate.
There were de Arcubus residents of London later.
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.5 The Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 177, p. 95 (http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA100&vq=bowes&dq=surtees+adam+bowes&id=1n_MJiukLTgC&ots=cJrjAYa48W#v=onepage&q=bowes&f=false: accessed 5 July 2011).
1. Camden, William. Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the Most Flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Philemon Holland's English translation of 1610. [William Camden was born in London in 1551, and attended Christ's Hospital, St Paul's School and Oxford University. From 1575 he taught at Westminster School but spent holidays travelling for antiquarian research. The first edition Britannia was published in Latin in 1586. He became headmaster of Westminster in 1593 and Clarenceux King of Arms, a senior officer of the College of Arms, in 1597. He died in 1623. Later editions of Britannia saw major changes. We present here the text of Philemon Holland's English translation of 1610, based on Camden's final edition of 1607 and probably translated under Camden's direction. It was the first ever published topographical survey of the whole British Isles, county by county.]
2. Burke, John.A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank: but Uninvested with Heritable Honours. Colburn: 1836, p. 181. Citing Grose, F., Antiquities of England and Wales. 1756, Vol. 6, p. 75-8 and Camden.
3. Arthur, William, M.A. An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import. New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
4. Bulmer, Bulmer's Topography, History and Directory (Private and Commercial) of North Yorkshire with Map, S & N Publishing, 2002.
6. Need to find again.