Cloteworthy History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe ancient history of the Cloteworthy name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in Clatworthy, a parish, in the union of Williton, hundred of Williton and Freemanners in Somerset. 1 Early Origins of the Cloteworthy familyThe surname Cloteworthy 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 Cloteworthy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cloteworthy 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 Cloteworthy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cloteworthy 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 Cloteworthy include Clatworthy, Cloteworthy, Clotworthy, Clatworth and others. Early Notables of the Cloteworthy familyNotables of this surname at this time include:
Migration of the Cloteworthy family to IrelandSome of the Cloteworthy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Cloteworthy 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 Cloteworthy 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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