Show ContentsClesbye History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Clesbye is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Clesbye family lived in the North Riding of Yorkshire at Cleasby, a parish in the union of Darlington, wapentake of Gilling-East. 1 2

Early Origins of the Clesbye family

The surname Clesbye was first found in Yorkshire where the village of Cleasby (sometimes Clesby) in the North Riding of Yorkshire was held by Enisan, a Norman noble, who is the conjectural ancestor of the Cleasby surname. 3 4

The first reference for the family was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 as Johannes de Clesbe. 5

Early History of the Clesbye family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clesbye research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1202, 1273, 1300, 1379, 1416, 1587 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Clesbye History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clesbye Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Clesby, Cleasby, Clisby, Clisbee, Clesbie, Clesebi, Cleseby, Clesby, Clesbe and many more.

Early Notables of the Clesbye family

More information is included under the topic Early Clesbye Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clesbye family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Clesbye or a variant listed above: William Clisby who arrived in America in 1768.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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