Show ContentsClewly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Clewly Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Clewly

What does the name Clewly mean?

Clewly is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Clewly family once lived in the locality of Clulow, "in the township of Wincle, parish of Prestbury, Cheshire. From Clulow Cross there is said to be a fine view over parts of Staffordshire and Cheshire. " 1

Early Origins of the Clewly family

The surname Clewly was first found in Cheshire, where early records of the family are indeed rare. Prestbury Church in Cheshire listed Ralph Hordeme and Anne Cluley marrying in 1615 and the same source notes that Robert Millington and Ellen Cluley were married in 1617. 1

Early History of the Clewly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clewly research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1617, 1633, 1648, 1727 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Clewly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clewly 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 Clewly family name include Clulow, Clewly, Clewlow, Clulye, Clulee, Clewely, Cluley and many more.

Early Notables of the Clewly family

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

Clewly migration to the United States+

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 Clewly surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Clewly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Elizabeth Clewly who arrived in Boston in 1768
  1. 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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