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Clapham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Clapham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Clapham family

The surname Clapham was first found in Clopham (Clapham), Sussex where "Ralph de Andeon held two fees from the honour of Braiose (Testa de Neville). Hence the younger branches bore the name of Clapham, the seat of this family from nearly the Conquest. " 1 2

The West Riding of Yorkshire at Clapham was home to another branch of the family. "The manor of Clapham, which extends only over part of the township, was the property of the De Clapham family, from whom it was purchased in the reign of Charles I., by the Morleys, whose descendant is the present lord. " 3 "The Yorkshire Claphams have been the most prolific." 4

"The Claphams were a very ancient family of West Riding gentry, who took the name of a West Riding parish." 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Alexander de Clopham, Kent; Peter de Clopham, Bedfordshire; and Reginald de Clopham, Bedfordshire as all holding lands at that time. 4

Despite the aforementioned "prolific" entry for the Yorkshire branch, there was only one entry for the family in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Thomas de Clapham. 4

Early History of the Clapham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clapham research. Another 47 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1595, 1600, 1608, 1659, 1681, 1682, 1683 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Clapham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clapham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Clapham, Clapeham and others.

Early Notables of the Clapham family

Distinguished members of the family include

David Clapham (d. 1551), English translator, eldest son and heir of John Clapham, the fourth son of Thomas Clapham of Beamesley, Yorkshire. "He practised as a rector in the ecclesiastical courts at Do...
Henoch Clapham (fl. 1600), was an English theological writer who appears to have been in 1595 the pastor of a congregation of English-speaking people in Amsterdam. 6
Christopher Clapham (1608-1686), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Stamford (1659), Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire (1681-1686), and High Sheriff of Lincolnshire (1682-1683.)

Clapham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clapham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Marjorie Clapham who settled in Virginia in 1655
Margery Clapham, who landed in Virginia in 1655 7
Thomas Clapham, who landed in Maryland in 1662 7
John Clapham, who landed in Maryland in 1668 7
William Clapham, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 7

Clapham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Clapham, who arrived in New York in 1823
Samuel Clapham, who arrived in New York, NY in 1837 7

Clapham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clapham Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Clapham, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Clapham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Henry Clapham, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Clapham migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Clapham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Iverson Clapham, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Michael Clapham, British Convict who was convicted in Gibraltar for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia 9

Clapham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Clapham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Clapham, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Ellen Clapham, aged 16, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
George Clapham, aged 18, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Joseph Clapham, aged 38, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Sarah Clapham, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Clapham (post 1700) +

Samuel Clapham (1755-1830), English Church of England clergyman, justice of the peace, and a writer 10
Charles "Charlie" Clapham (b. 1946), English chairman of Southport Football Club
Sir John Harold Clapham CBE, LittD, FBA (1873-1946), English economic historian at Cambridge University
James Richard "Jamie" Clapham (b. 1975), English footballer
Adam Clapham (1940-2022), British television director and producer who worked at BBC Television for nearly twenty years as a director
John Greaves Clapham (1796-1854), Lower Canada-born businessman, politician and lieutenant with the Queen's Volunteers during the Lower Canada Rebellion
Victor J. Clapham, South African graphic artist who was awarded the Bronze Wolf, for exceptional services to world Scouting, in 1976
Diana Clapham (b. 1957), British silver medalist equestrian at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Sir Michael Clapham KBE (1912-2002), British Industrialist, president of the Confederation of British Industry (1972-1974)
David Philip Clapham (1931-2005), South African racing driver and motor sport journalist
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020