Clegget History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Clegget comes from the family having resided in the village of Clegett or Clegett Hall, in the parish of Rochdale, Kent. The surname is derived from the Old Norse word which means a haystack-shaped hill. The surname also has an occupational origin, which means that it is derived form the trade or profession of the original bearer. The name was also given to those who worked as bellringers.

Cleygate, a manor, in the parish of Thames Ditton, Second division of the hundred of Kingston, union of Kingston, in the East division of Surrey may be a point of origin for the family. 1 "It was given to the convent of Westminster by Tosti, probably the son of Earl Godwin, and the grant was confirmed by Edward the Confessor. The Domesday Survey records that "Claigate" was then still held by the monks, and the lands continued in their possession until the Dissolution. " 2

Early Origins of the Clegget family

The surname Clegget was first found in Kent, at Claygate Cross, a hamlet in the Sevenoaks District. The first record was that ot Roger de la Caligate was was listed here in the Feet of Fines for 1198. Robert Cleygate was listed in 1215 and Glibert ate Claygate was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1317. 3

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Claygate, a village in Surrey 1 4 that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Claigate, a manor of the village Thames Ditton. 5 The main manor of the village was held by Westminster Abbey. This is indeed a rare name as most of the records are quite late in the 17th and 18th centuries - little was found earlier.

Early History of the Clegget family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clegget research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1215, 1317, 1610, 1628, 1634, 1636, 1644, 1646, 1654, 1660, 1663, 1671, 1681, 1688, 1716, 1721, 1727, 1746, 1756, 1766, 1776, 1788 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Clegget History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clegget Spelling Variations

Clegget has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Clagett, Claggitt, Clegget, Cleggett, Cleygate, Claygate, Clackett, Claigate, Cleget, Claggett, Claggot and many more.

Early Notables of the Clegget family

Distinguished members of the family include Nicholas Clagett the Elder (1610?-1663), English Puritan divine, born at Canterbury about 1610 and in 1628 was entered as a student of Merton College, Oxford, where he proceeded B.A. in October 1681. "Afterwards he migrated to Magdalen Hall, and commenced M.A. in June 1634, being then generally esteemed a very able moderator in philosophy. About 1636 he became vicar of Melbourne, Derbyshire, and about 1644 he was chosen lecturer or preacher at St. Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk." 6His son, Nicholas Clagett the Younger (1654-1727), was an English controversialist. "He was baptised 20 May...
Another 264 words (19 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clegget Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clegget family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Cleggets to arrive on North American shores: Thomas Clagett who arrived in Maryland in 1670 and Thomas John Clagett in Maryland in 1767.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print