Clarkridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Clarkridge originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived 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 Clarkridge family

The surname Clarkridge 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 Clarkridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clarkridge 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 Clarkridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clarkridge Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Clarkridge has appeared include Claridge, Clarridge, Clarges, Clargeis, Claredge, Clarredge, Claradge, Clarradge, Claridges, Clarridges, Claredges and many more.

Early Notables of the Clarkridge 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 Clarkridge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clarkridge family to Ireland

Some of the Clarkridge 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 Clarkridge family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Clarkridge arrived in North America very early: 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)