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Claptown is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from Osgoode Clapa a nobleman of Danish or Saxon origin. As a man of noble worth he attended the Court of King Cnut. Another possible origin of the surname Claptown may be an extension of the Old English Clop which meant lump. It was often applied as a nickname to someone who was large and ungainly. It was adopted in England as a surname only after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The surname Claptown was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat. The name is claimed to be descended from a Danish noble who attended the court of King Canute, Osgod Clappa. Although the name was found in the late 13th century in Oxford, the Cheshire dating places Turstan de Cloptuna there in the year 1154, and succeeded by Alan de Clapeton in 1185. In its migration south, the name seems to have been transformed into Clopton, which gave rise to the village of Clopton in Suffolk, which became the family seat. There is much historic interchangeability between the records of the two spellings.
The church in the village of Long Melford, Suffolk "contains many interesting monuments, among which are, one to William de Clopton, dated 1446; one to John de Clopton in 1497 and numerous brasses to the families of Clopton." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claptown research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1359, 1366, 1388, 1389, 1400, 1412, 1440, 1441, 1450, 1455, 1474, 1483, 1487, 1491, 1496, 1497, 1501, 1614, 1662 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Claptown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Claptown has undergone many spelling variations, including Clapton, Clappton, Clopton, Clapeton, Cloptun, Cloptone, Clotton, Clapperton and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Walter de Clopton (d. 1412?), an English judge, the fourth son of Sir William de Clopton of Newnham Manor, Ashdon, Essex. "The seat of the family was Suffolk, and Sir William de Clopton appears as commissioner of array for that county in 1359. Having, however, purchased Newnham Manor in the following year, he permanently established himself there, and it remained in his posterity for some generations. For some reason, which the writ does not disclose, he and his sons Walter and Edmund were enjoined in 1366 not to leave the country on pain of forfeiture...
Another 117 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Claptown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Claptown were among those contributors: William Clopton, who settled in Virginia in 1698; John Clapton, a bonded passenger who arrived in Maryland in 1737; Robt. Clapton, who arrived at the port of New York in 1830.