Clutton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Clutton

What does the name Clutton mean?

Clutton is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Clutton family lived in Cheshire where they were Lords of the Manor of Clutton.

Early Origins of the Clutton family

The surname Clutton was first found in Cheshire at Clotton, or Clotton Hoofield, a township, in the parish of Tarvin, union of Great Boughton that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Clotone. Hence, the surname is conjecturally descended from William FitzNigel, a Norman Baron who held Clutton in 1086. The main stem of the family later branched to Nantwich, and thence to Chorlton, near Malpas. Literally the place name means "farmstead at a dell or deep valley," from the Old English words "cloh" + "tun." 1 Today it includes the settlements of Clotton, Clotton Common and Hoofield.

Early History of the Clutton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clutton research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1399, 1413, 1533, 1575 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Clutton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clutton Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Clutton, Clotton, Clutten, Cluttone and others.

Early Notables of the Clutton family

Thomas Clutton, an 18th century esquire of Walworth

Clutton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 2

Clutton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Clutton who arrived in Jamaica in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Clutton (post 1700) +

Henry Hugh Clutton (1850-1909), London surgeon who coined the phrase "Clutton's joints"

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies