Show ContentsClenam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Clenam family

The surname Clenam was first found in Suffolk where Great Glemham is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District and Little Glemham is a small village a few miles away. Both places date back to the Domesday Book where they were listed as Glaimham which probably meant "homestead or village noted for its revelry or games," having derived from the Old English words gleam + ham. 1

Glemham Hall is an Elizabethan stately home on the outskirts of the village of Little Glemham and was built around 1560 by the De Glemham family. 2

Early History of the Clenam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clenam research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1103, 1177, 1449, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1513, 1532, 1560, 1576, 1590, 1591, 1593, 1594, 1597, 1600, 1601, 1603, 1604, 1614, 1617, 1621, 1622, 1625, 1632, 1644, 1649, 1670 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Clenam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clenam Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Glenham, Glemham, Clenham, Glanham, Clanham, Glenam, Glenum, Clanam, Clenam, Gleymham, Cleynham, Gleman, Gleeman, Cleeman and many more.

Early Notables of the Clenam family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Henry Glemham (died 1632) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Lewes (1593-1597), for Suffolk in 1601, for Ipswich in 1604 and for Aldeburgh (1614-1622); and his son, Sir Thomas Glemham (c. 1594-1649), an English soldier, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1625. He was a commander in the Royalist army during the English Civil War. 3 Sir Charles Glemham (born 1576) was an English courtier and politician, Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh (1621-1622) and Henry Glemham (Glenham) (c.1603-1670), was an English royalist churchman, Dean of Bristol...
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clenam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clenam family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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