The ancient roots of the Clewes family name are in the
Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Clewes comes from when the family lived in
Cheshire in an area that was described by the Old English word as
cloh, which means that the bearers of this surname lived near a
ravine or hollow. It also could be described as the place that was set back from the town or village.
Early Origins of the Clewes family
The surname Clewes was first found in
Cheshire where they held a
family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the
Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Clewes family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clewes research.
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1543 and 1604 are included under the topic Early Clewes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Clewes Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The
spelling variations under which the name Clewes has appeared include Clowes, Clowe, Clows and others.
Early Notables of the Clewes family (pre 1700)
Another 19 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clewes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Clewes family to the New World and Oceana
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in
England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left
England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Clewes arrived in North America very early: Elizabeth Clowes who settled in New
England in 1750; John Clowes settled in Philadelphia in 1834; Joseph Clowes settled in San Francisco in 1852; John Clows settled in Delaware Bay with his wife Marjorie and three children in 1683.
Contemporary Notables of the name Clewes (post 1700)
- Howard Clewes (1912-1988), English BAFTA Award nominated screenwriter and novelist, best known for his screenplay The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)