Clavell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Clarvaile, or Claville, was one of the Barons of the Domesday. " Which of the places in Normandy called Claville gave name to this family has not been discovered, but there is a village of that name in the Campagne de Neubourg, a little to the west of Evreux, from which it is rather more probable they sprung than from Claville Motteville in the arrondissement of Rouen, mentioned as their original seat, because a great majority of the followers of the Conqueror were drawn from that part of the Duchy that lies Southwards of the river Seine." 1

Clavelshay, or Clavelsleigh, now called Classey, in Somersetshire, took its name from some Clavilles who had considerable possessions in that neighbourhood.

Early Origins of the Clavell family

The surname Clavell was first found in Dorset where Walter de Clavile was listed as a tenant in chief in Dorset and Devon in the Domesday Book. 2 "His male descendants continued to possess lands in the former county till 1774." 3

A descendant by the same name with different spelling is noted: "At Canonleigh, in Burlescombe, not far from the Somersetshire border, are the remains of a monastery, originally founded by Walter Claville, temp. Henry II., for a prior and Austin canons." 4

A few years later, John Clavel was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1218, Robert Clauel and William Clauel were listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 and 1327 respectively.

The name is derived form the Old French word "clavel," which means "keystone of an arch, lintel over a fireplace, especially a beam of wood so used." 5

The family claim descent from "a baronial family near Clavel, near Rouen [Normandy]. Walter de Clavel held 37 lordships in barony, Devon. In 1165, Walter de Clavel held 10 fees of the Honour of Gloucester. Lomen-Claville was the seat of the barony in Devon. Ralph de Clavel of this family held a fief in Dorset from Alured de Lincoln [in the] 13 century. Various branches of the family continued for ages in Dorset. " 6

Clavell Tower, also known as Clavell Folly or the Kimmeridge Tower, is a Tuscan style tower built in 1830 by Reverend John Richards Clavell of Smedmore House as an observatory and folly. Born John Richards, the Reverend changed his name to John Richards Clavell after inheriting the estate in 1817. Clavell Tower was the site where Thomas Hardy, the novelist, often took his first love Eliza Nicholl and the tower was the inspiration for Baroness P. D. James's prize winning 1975 novel The Black Tower. Clavell Tower is now owned by The Landmark Trust.

Early History of the Clavell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clavell research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1106, 1166, 1218, 1296, 1327, 1451, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1539, 1600, 1601, 1625, 1627, 1632, 1639, 1643, 1677, 1711 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Clavell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clavell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Clavill, Clavell, Claville, Clavile, Clefell, Clafell, Clafile, Clavall, Claville, Clafall, Clavel, Clevell, Cleville, Clevill and many more.

Early Notables of the Clavell family

Distinguished members of the family include

Robert Clavell (1632-1711), a London bookseller, born at Steeple, Dorset. He also authored treatises. He died at Islington in 1711 and in his will, he was listed as a "citizen and stationer of London...
John Clavell (1601-1643) was an English highwayman, author, lawyer, and doctor. In 1625, Clavell was imprisoned in King's Bench Prison as a convicted felon. After serving his time in 1627, he was appr...
Walter Clavell (1639-1677) was an English administrator employed by the East India Company as Chief of the factories in the Bay of Bengal. At the young age of 28, he was sent out by the Court of Direc...

Clavell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Clavell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pedro Clavell, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1823 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Clavell (post 1700) +

Charles Edmund Dumaresq "James" Clavell (1921-1994), Australian-born British (later naturalized American) novelist, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war,, best remembered for movies such as "The Great Escape", "Shogun" and "To Sir with Love"
Michaela Clavell, American actress, daughter of James Clavell, perhaps best known for her role as Penelope Smallbone in the James Bond film Octopussy
George Clavell (1725-1774), English politician from Smedmore, Kimmeridge, Dorset, Member of the Parliament of England for Dorchester 1752 to 1754
Kira Clavell, Canadian actress based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontari
Gian Louis Clavell López (b. 1993), Puerto Rican professional basketball player
Gilberto Clavell III (b. 1989), Puerto Rican professional basketball player
Commander Richard Charles Clavell, British Royal Navy officer who was stationed in Australia on secondment to the Royal Australian Navy from 1920 to 1922, father of James Clavell

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
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)