Clarish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Clarish came from the given name Clarice, a very popular personal name during the Middle Ages. 1 This name is of metronymic origin. In this case the original bearer of the surname was the mother, whose children were named after her first name.

The name may also have originally been from Normandy as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Muriel de la Clergesse, Normandy, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Clarish family

The surname Clarish was first found in Cambridgeshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has two entries for the same individual with two different spellings: Henry serviens Claricie, Cambridgeshire; and Henry serviens Clarugge, Cambridgeshire. 1

Early History of the Clarish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clarish research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1653, 1656, 1660, 1695, 1705, 1728 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Clarish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clarish Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Clarish family name include Claridge, Clarridge, Clarges, Clargeis, Claredge, Clarredge, Claradge, Clarradge, Claridges, Clarridges, Claredges and many more.

Early Notables of the Clarish family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Clarges (c 1618-1695), an English politician, Member of Parliament for the Sheriffdoms of Ross, Sutherland, and Cromarty in 1656, Member of Parliament for Westminster in 1660, he was a important messenger between Richard Cromwell and Charles II. George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle noted in his letter to Charles II telling him that "he chose to send Mr. Clarges to...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clarish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clarish family to Ireland

Some of the Clarish family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clarish family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Clarish surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Esther Claridge who settled in Philadelphia in 1820; with James, Joseph, Phillip, and Samuel; Samuel Claradge settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.

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)
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)