Show ContentsCluse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Cluse is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Cheshire in an area that was described by the Old English word as cloh, which means that the bearers of this surname lived near a ravine or hollow. It also could be described as the place that was set back from the town or village.

Early Origins of the Cluse family

The surname Cluse was first found in Yorkshire where the first record of the family was Willelmus de Clowe who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 1

Early History of the Cluse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cluse research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1543, 1582, 1595, 1604, 1605, 1616, 1645, 1648, 1649 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Cluse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cluse Spelling Variations

Sound 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 Cluse family name include Clowes, Clowe, Clows and others.

Early Notables of the Cluse family

Distinguished members of the family include William Clowes the Elder (c.1543-1604), an early English surgeon and author. He was the "son of Thomas and grandson of Nicholas Clowes, both of Kingsbury in Warwickshire, and great-grandson of Geffrey Clowes of Tutbury in Staffordshire, all of them gentlemen bearing tokens and arms of honour, helm, mantle, and...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cluse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cluse family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Cluse surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Elizabeth Clowes who settled in New England in 1750; John Clowes settled in Philadelphia in 1834; Joseph Clowes settled in San Francisco in 1852; John Clows settled in Delaware Bay with his wife Marjorie and three children in 1683.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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