Corlesse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Corlesse is a name whose history dates far back into the mists of early British times to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. It is a name for a person who was believed to be free from care or unconcerned. The nickname is derived from the Old English word carleas, which referred to a "cheerful, merry" person. 1

One source claims that the name is a derivation of "Carlos, or its original, Carolus," 2 and we shall see later, Carlos was indeed still used by some people as late as the 17th century.

Early Origins of the Corlesse family

The surname Corlesse was first found in Gloucestershire, but some of the family were found in Lancashire at Welsh Whittle in early times. "In that of Edward III., Sir William Careles held the manor, so called, of Walshwittell. " 3

Later some of the family were found in Worcestershire, where "Careless is at present an Evesham name, and Carless is still a Worcester name. " 4 There was only one entry for the family in Yorkshire at the time of the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Willelmus Careles. 5

Early History of the Corlesse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corlesse research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1260, 1379, 1570, 1610, 1619, 1651, 1665, 1670, 1689, 1700, 1722 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Corlesse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corlesse Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Corlesse has been recorded under many different variations, including Carlesse, Carelesse, Careless, Carless, Karelees, Kareles, Careles, Corless, Curless, Korelees and many more.

Early Notables of the Corlesse family

Notables of the family at this time include Willelmus Careles, a prominent 14th century landholder in Yorkshire Colonel William Careless, Carles or Carlos (c. 1610-1689), was an English Royalist officer of the English Civil War, companion of King Charles II when the fugitive monarch hid in the Royal Oak following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. "A family of the name of Carlosia described as of Stratford-on-Avon in the 'Visitation of Warwickshire' in 1619." The source goes on to note that he is thought to have been "the son of Anthony Careless, of the Clothiers' Company in Worcester in 1665, who...
Another 204 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Corlesse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Corlesse family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Corlesse or a variant listed above: Andrew Carelesse, who settled in Virginia in 1650; Joane Carelesse, who arrived in Virginia in 1653; Thomas Careless, who arrived in Virginia in 1737.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)