Clatworde History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe history of the Clatworde family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Clatworthy, a parish, in the union of Williton, hundred of Williton and Freemanners in Somerset. 1 Early Origins of the Clatworde familyThe surname Clatworde was first found in Somerset, at Clatworthy, a village and civil parish in the West Somerset District which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Clateurde. 2 By 1243, the place name had evolved to Clatewurthy and the place name literally means "enclosure where burdock grows." 3 Clatworthy Camp is an Iron Age hill fort 3 miles (4.8 km) North West of Wiveliscombe in Somerset. Early History of the Clatworde familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clatworde research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1617, 1626, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1646, 1665, 1680 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Clatworde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Clatworde Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Clatworde include Clatworthy, Cloteworthy, Clotworthy, Clatworth and others. Early Notables of the Clatworde familyNotables of this surname at this time include: John Cloteworthy, a prominent 14th century landholder in Somerset; Sir Hugh Clotworthy (died 1630), High Sheriff of Antrim; and his son, John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene (died 1665), an Anglo-Irish politician. They were descended from the Devonshire family of that name. Sir John
was one of the largest landowners in the county of Antrim (Aphorismical Discovery, i. 335), and appears as the representative of those who held under the charter of... Migration of the Clatworde family to IrelandSome of the Clatworde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Clatworde familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Clatworde or a variant listed above: Matthew Clatworthy, who sailed to Virginia in 1635 and Roger Clatworth sailed to Virginia in 1654.
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