The
Anglo-Saxon name Clews comes from the family having resided 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 Clews family
The surname Clews 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 Clews family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clews research.
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1543 and 1604 are included under the topic Early Clews History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Clews Spelling Variations
Clews has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few
hundred years,
spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Clowes, Clowe, Clows and others.
Early Notables of the Clews family (pre 1700)
Another 19 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clews Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Clews family to the New World and Oceana
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in
England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Clewss to arrive on North American shores:
Clews Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Samuel Clews, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1800 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Clews Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Jonathan Clews U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Contemporary Notables of the name Clews (post 1700)
- Henry Clews (1836-1923), English-born, American financier and author
- Dan Clews, English singer/songwriter from Sevenoaks, Kent
- Alan Clews, English founder of Clews Competition Machines, a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Bolton in 1971
- Paul Gordon Clews (b. 1979), English speedway rider from Coventry
- Hortense Daman Clews (1926-2006), born Hortense Daman, Belgium-born, Allied heroine of World War II, recipient of the Croix de Guerre, Order of Leopold II and Medal of the Armed Resistance 1940-1945
- Charles "Charlie" Clews (1919-2009), Maltese-born, comic actor and script writer
- Mark Lindsay Clews (b. 1952), former Australian cricketer