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Clowes History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Clowes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Clowes name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in Cheshire in an area that was described by the Old English word as cloh, which means that the bearers of this surname lived near a ravine or hollow. It also could be described as the place that was set back from the town or village.

Early Origins of the Clowes family

The surname Clowes was first found in Yorkshire where the first record of the family was Willelmus de Clowe who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 1

Early History of the Clowes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clowes research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1543, 1582, 1595, 1604, 1605, 1616, 1645, 1648, 1649 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Clowes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clowes Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Clowes were recorded, including Clowes, Clowe, Clows and others.

Early Notables of the Clowes family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Clowes the Elder (c.1543-1604), an early English surgeon and author. He was the "son of Thomas and grandson of Nicholas Clowes, both of Kingsbury in Warwickshire, and great-grandson of Geffrey...

Clowes migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Clowes family emigrate to North America:

Clowes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Inc Clowes, who landed in Virginia in 1661 2
Elizabeth Clowes, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 2
John Clowes, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 2

Clowes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Clowes who settled in New England in 1750

Clowes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Clowes, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
Joseph Clowes, who settled in San Francisco in 1852
Harriet Clowes, aged 26, who arrived in New York in 1864 2

Clowes migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clowes Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Capt. Gerardus Clowes U.E. born in Hempstead, Long Island, USA who settled in Sunbury County, New Brunswick c. 1783 he was Captain in DeLancey's 3rd Battalion Regiment 3
Lt. John Clowes U.E. born in Hempstead, Long Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783; he served in DeLancey's 3rd Battalion Regiment 3
Lt. Samuel Clowes U.E. born in Hempstead, Long Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783; he served in DeLancey's 3rd Battalion Regiment 3
Mr. Timothy Clowes U.E. born in Hempstead, Long Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 3
Mr. Timothy Clowes U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 3

Clowes migration to Australia +

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

Clowes Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Clowes, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. John Clowes, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Clowes 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:

Clowes Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Clowes, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Clowes (post 1700) +

Daniel Gillespie Clowes (b. 1961), American author, screenwriter and cartoonist
Samuel Clowes, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Queens County, 1789-96 7
B. Valentine Clowes, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Queens County 2nd District, 1880 7
William Clowes (1780-1851), English co-founder of Primitive English Methodists, born at Burslem, Staffordshire, son of William Clowes, potter, and Ann, daughter of Aaron Wedgwood 8
Butler Clowes (d. 1782), English mezzotint-engraver and printseller who lived in Gutter Lane, Cheapside, where he kept a print-shop 8
Josiah Clowes (1735-1794), noted English civil engineer and canal builder
Samuel William Clowes (1821-1898), English Conservative politician
John Alan Clowes (b. 1929), English footballer
William Clowes (1779-1847), English founder of William Clowes Ltd, a printing firm in London in 1803
Sir William Laird Clowes (1856-1905), British journalist and historian
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020