| ![Show Contents]() Claws History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Claws came from the baptismal name Klaus, or Niklaus (Nicholas). Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. Furthermore, the suffix son was frequently added to such names which in this case would have been derived from son of Klaus or son of Nicholas. Early Origins of the Claws familyThe surname Claws was first found in Long Clawson, sometimes referred to as Claxton, a small village in Leicestershire. The village dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was recorded as Clachestone part of Framland Wapentake and held by Robert the Usher 1. As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the name appears in Middlesex where they held a family seat as early as 1340. Clays le Taburer is mentioned as being Minstrel to the King and later, during the reign of King Henry IV the name emerged as Clayson in the form of Henry Clayson. By 1328 the name had migrated north to Scotland when Johanes Clayson was Chamberlain. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. Early History of the Claws familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claws research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1336, 1364, 1370, 1373, 1380, 1382, 1389, 1392, 1399, 1407, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Claws History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Claws Spelling VariationsSound 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 Claws family name include Clayson, Clawson, Claxson, Claison, Clason, Clisson and many more. Early Notables of the Claws familyDistinguished members of the family include Olivier de Clisson (1336-1407), a Breton soldier, distinguished himself at the Battle of Auray (1364), where he lost an eye in the fighting, and earned the nickname "Butcher" because his troops were ordered to take no prisoners, due to differences he went over to the side of Montfort's rivals (France), acquired the lordship of Josselin and began to build Josselin Castle (1370), an imposing new fortress with eight towers, joined Bertrand du Guesclin (1370), who had lately become constable of France, and followed him in campaigns against the English, including the Siege of Brest in...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Claws Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Claws familyFor 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 Claws surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Clayso in settled in Virginia in 1665.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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