The name Cloteworthey first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Clatworthy, a parish, in the union of Williton, hundred of Williton and Freemanners in Somerset. [1]
The surname Cloteworthey was first found in Somerset, at Clatworthy, a village and civil parish in the West Somerset District which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Clateurde. [2]
By 1243, the place name had evolved to Clatewurthy and the place name literally means "enclosure where burdock grows." [3] Clatworthy Camp is an Iron Age hill fort 3 miles (4.8 km) North West of Wiveliscombe in Somerset.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cloteworthey research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1680, 1683, 1617, 1630, 1665, 1634, 1640, 1646 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Cloteworthey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Cloteworthey has appeared include Clatworthy, Cloteworthy, Clotworthy, Clatworth and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: John Cloteworthy, a prominent 14th century landholder in Somerset; Sir Hugh Clotworthy (died 1630), High Sheriff of Antrim; and his son, John Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene (died 1665), an Anglo-Irish politician. They were descended from the Devonshire family of that name. Sir John
was one of the largest landowners in the county of Antrim (Aphorismical Discovery, i. 335), and appears as the representative of those who held under the charter of...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cloteworthey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Cloteworthey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Cloteworthey arrived in North America very early: Matthew Clatworthy, who sailed to Virginia in 1635 and Roger Clatworth sailed to Virginia in 1654.