Clere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Clere reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Clere family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Clere family lived in Suffolk. Some say the family was originally from Clere, in Vexin, Normandy, and that it is from this location that their surname derives.
Early Origins of the Clere family
The surname Clere was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands, before any of the name made their way to Ireland. They were directly descended from Gilbert Crispin whose son Richard Fitzgilbert was the first settler in England, they enjoy the same ancestors as King William Duke of Normandy. One of Fitzgilbert's descendants was Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, known as "Strongbow," who took his surname from his estate in Suffolk. He left Clair Castle in Suffolk with an army of 2,000 Norman nobles and invaded Ireland in 1172, taking many of his family with him.
Early History of the Clere family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clere research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Clere Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Clair, Clare, Clere, O'Clear, O'Clair and others.
Early Notables of the Clere family
More information is included under the topic Early Clere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Clere Ranking
In France, the name Clere is the 6,301st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1
Migration of the Clere family to Ireland
Some of the Clere family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Clere migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Clere Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Josephine Clere, aged 19, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1833 aboard the ship "Othello"
- Maria Clere, aged 31, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1833 aboard the ship "Othello"
- Catharine Clere, aged 14, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1833 aboard the ship "Othello"
- Jean Pierre Clere, aged 3, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1833 aboard the ship "Othello"
- Francoise Clere, aged 4, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1833 aboard the ship "Othello"
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Clere migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
2Clere Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Mr. John Clere, (b. 1608), aged 26, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Clere (post 1700) +
- Edward D. 'Ed' Clere (b. 1974), American politician, Member of the Indiana House of Representatives (2008-)
- Hugo Clere (b. 1994), French motorcycle racer
- Colonel Francis Clere Hitchcock MC (1896-1962), Irish author who wrote Stand To—A Diary of the Trenches (1915–1918)
- John Clere Parsons (1760-1826), Anglo-Irish lawyer, politician and judge, Member of Parliament for King's County (1818–1821)
The Clere 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: Virtute non verbis
Motto Translation: Deeds not words
Citations +
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- 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)