Claydon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Claydon arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Claydon family lived in one of the many parishes by the name of Clayton in Staffordshire, Sussex, the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Cloughton is a small village and civil parish in North Yorkshire. 1 2
Early Origins of the Claydon family
The surname Claydon was first found in Lancashire where the family "claim descent from one Robert, who came into England with the Conqueror, and received Clayton in reward of his services." 3 For the most part, all villages derived their name from the Old English words "claeg" + "tun," collectively meaning "farmstead on clayey soil." 4
Many villages date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 and were listed with a variety of spellings: Claitone (three listings); Claitunea; and Claitone. 5 Another early listing of the surname was Jordan de Claiton who was listed in Yorkshire in 1191. 6
The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. lists Robert de Cleyton, Lancashire, Henry III-Edward I. 7
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Sewal de Claton in Hertfordshire; Hamo de Cleyton in Buckinghamshire; and William de Cletone in Shropshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Willelmus de Clayton, of Clayton; Sara de Clayton; and Johannes de Clayton. 2 "Taunton Hall [in Knott Lanes, Lancashire], was the seat of the Claytons as early as the reign of Henry VI." 8
Early History of the Claydon family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claydon research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1629, 1632, 1665, 1676, 1677, 1684, 1685, 1689, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1702, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1711, 1758, 1773 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Claydon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Claydon Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Clayton, Claydon, Clawton, Claughton and others.
Early Notables of the Claydon family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Clayton of Adlington; William Clayton (1632-1689), English settler to America in 1677, acting Governor of the Pennsylvania Colony from 1684 to 1685; Richard Clayton (died 1676), English Canon, Oxford academic and administrator, Master of University College, Oxford (1665 to 1676); Sir Thomas Clayton (c 1612-1693), an English doctor, academic and politician; and Sir Robert Clayton (1629-1707) British merchant banker, politician and Lord Mayor of London.
John Clayton (1693-1773), was an English-born botanist, born at Fulham in 1693. His father...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Claydon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Claydon family to Ireland
Some of the Claydon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Claydon migration to the United States +
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Claydon or a variant listed above were:
Claydon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Thomas Claydon, aged 31, who landed in New York in 1812 9
Claydon migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Claydon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Henry Claydon, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
- Mr. Henry Claydon, Jr., (Bowsey), English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Claydon migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Claydon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Claydon, aged 58, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
- Charles Claydon, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
- Charles Claydon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- Anne K. Claydon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- Frances Claydon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1882
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Claydon (post 1700) +
- Captain Arthur Claydon (1885-1918), English World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross
- Steven Claydon (b. 1969), English artist and musician based in London
- Mitchell Eric Claydon (b. 1982), Australian-born English first-class cricketer
- Russell Claydon (b. 1965), English professional golfer
- Squadron-Leader J.R. Claydon, Commanding officer of the Antarctic Flight of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (1958), eponym of Claydon Peak, Antarctica
- Leonard Harold Claydon (1915-1971), Canadian politician in Manitoba
- George Claydon (1932-2001), British actor notable for his dwarfism
The Claydon Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Probitatum quam divitias
Motto Translation: Probity rather than riches.
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia