Cleatheroh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cleatheroh is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Cleatheroh family once lived in the area of Clithero in the county of Lancashire, beside the river Ribble.

"The ancient name of this town, Cliderhow, is of a mixed derivation from the British Cled-dwr, which signifies the hill or rock by the waters, and the final syllable how, a Saxon word for hill; being descriptive of its situation on an isolated eminence, terminating in one direction in a lofty rock of limestone whereon stands the keep of a castle, the original erection of which is involved in considerable obscurity." 1

Early Origins of the Cleatheroh family

The surname Cleatheroh was first found in Lancashire at Clitheroe, a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley. The name Clitheroe is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon for "Rocky Hill." The town is home to Clitheroe Castle, a motte and bailey castle which probably dates back to before 1086 as there is reference to it as "castellatu Rogerii pictaviensis" in the Domesday Book. 2 In 2007, the castle was restored to its original beauty and is now open to the public. The Honour of Clitheroe is an ancient grouping of manors and royal forests centered on Clitheroe Castle. The Battle of Clitheroe was fought 10 June 1138 between Scots and English knights.

Robert de Cliderhou (d. 1339?), was an English justiciar, who "belonged to a family which had been for one or two generations settled at Clitheroe in Lancashire, and he held the manor of Bayley near that town. In 1302 some land at Aighton was conveyed to him by W. de Mitton, and in 1307 he brought an action against three brothers, Ralph, William, and Geoffrey, of Bradenull, who had assaulted him when on the king's service, and had beaten him until they left him for dead. The offenders were ordered to pay him 200l. as compensation. During the reigns of Edward I and Edward II he was one of the clerks of the chancery." 3

Early History of the Cleatheroh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cleatheroh research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1469, 1564, 1565, 1571, 1574, 1585, 1586, 1592, 1600, 1603, 1606, 1635, 1641 and 1955 are included under the topic Early Cleatheroh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cleatheroh 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 Cleatheroh family name include Clitherow, Clitheroe, Cletherow, Clyderow, Cliderow and many more.

Early Notables of the Cleatheroh family

Distinguished members of the family include Margaret Clitherow (d. 1586), the 'martyr of York,' the daughter of Thomas Middleton, citizen of York and wax-chandler, who served the office of Sheriff in 1564-1565. On 1 July 1571 she was married to John Clitherow, butcher. He was a well-to-do man, and was afterwards chosen a chamberlain of the city, thus becoming entitled, ex officio, to the appellation of gentleman. Although John Clitherow was not a Roman catholic, his brother William was a priest, and it is probable that 'Thomas Clitherow of York, draper,' who was in the castle for his religion in 1600...
Another 211 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cleatheroh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cleatheroh 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 Cleatheroh surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Robert Clitheroe who settled in Jamaica in 1684; John Clitheroe settled in Virginia in 1731.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print