The Clendons’ origins

The name Clendon is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from MacLennan as an alternative variant. The surname Clendon was primarily based in the Scottish Gaelic of MacGilleFhinnein. The translation of this Gaelic surname is servant of Finnan who became revered as a saint.

From Glendon In Northants Recorded As Clendon In Domesday Book.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press

Origins

Major family line

The major lines identified to date come from Northamptonshire – close to the village recorded in the Doomsday Book. The earliest Clendon was William Clendon who was born about 1480 and died in 1524. There had however been Clendons in the area for much longer as with the following reference back to 1389:

Quitclaim by John Balle, of Kettering, John Richard, Alice his wife, and Richard Amus, to Thomas Prentys, of Thorpmallesons, of two tenements, etc. in Thorpmallesons, late belonging to John Clendon, lord of Clendon. Witness Stephen Walker, Henry Rycher, John Rycher. Dat. Kettering [10th October]. 13 Ric II [1389] Seal. (broken).
item | K(C)/114
14th Century

Other Straws

There was a will by John Clendon of Kent in 1416.

Medieval & Tudor Kent Wills at Lambeth – Book 21  Page 73

John CLENDON,  Will 24 September 1416
Return to Book 21 Contents Page      Return to Lambeth Wills Index Page

JOHN CLENDON, 24 September 1416. To be buried where it shall please God. To Reginald my son a ‘Jack’ of black ‘bisse & bota’ and all my armour. To Margaret my daughter the profit of three acres of meadow for three years. To my father a gown of black Russet furred with black lamb. I wish that my piece of silver valued at nine marcs with cover remain to my boys but in custody of my wife. To James Swetnam a gowne of ‘muster de vilers’ viz cloth of the same furred. And I wish that the said James shall have my furred gowns of the livery of my lord the Prior of Canterbury. To Matthew Swetnam my ‘Carlelax’. To William Botiller my gown of the livery of my lord the Prior of Canterbury. I leave to Walter my brother a green gowne lined and to Nicholas Assh my ‘hangerharness’. 
To my attendant (famulus) Marescalli a hood of violet. To Robert Arthur a gown of the livery of my last lord. To James Swetnam my sword. To my tenants to pray for me a quarter of barley. Residue to Katherine my wife and James Swetnam aforesaid to dispose for my soul and they to be executors. I will that my silver salt remain to my boys and my heirs. Dated at Caless. I wish Matthew aforesaid to be supervisor. 
Proved at Cales ‘in hospicio domini’ 3 October 1416 by James Swetnam one of the executors. (295a Chichele I).

https://www.quickgen.net/2018/06/the-knightley-collection-of-charters.html

Clearly there were Clendons in Warwickshire in the 19th century which have yet to be identified.

There are also reports of the Clendon name being in Somerset before the Norman Conquest. The House of Names Report mentions this.

There is a record of marriage for Marjery Clendon in Somerset for 1543 and a John Clendon buried there in 1560.

There were also a number of Clendons recorded in 16th century Cornwall.

In Staffordshire there is mention of a Richard Clendon disposing of the Manor of Upton:

 By February 1420 they and their elder son, John, had purchased the manor of Upton and the hundred of Newbottle Grove from the feoffees of Richard Clendon, who were then pardoned for disposing of the property without a royal licence.

KNIGHTLEY, Richard (d.1442), of Fawsley, Northants. and Gnosall, Staffs.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386-1421, ed. J.S. Roskell, L. Clark, C. Rawcliffe., 1993
This may have been the same Richard Clendon who had wheat stolen:Image (AALT), 8 Ric2, John Edward de Upton captured because in 39 Ed3 he stole 9 bushels from the granary of Richard de Clendon at Upton?http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk › abstracts__167

Spelling Variants

 It is worth noting at this point that before standardised spelling came about there were many variants of surnames, often within the same family. Much, it has to be said, depended on the relevant officials. Examples include Clanton, Clendin, Cleverdon,Glendon, Clennon, Mclendon, Condon, Clenton Clinton, Lenton, Creedon

Cleverdon frequently included under the name Clendon is searches seems to be a Devon/Cornwall variant. Christopher Cleverdon (1515-1585) is the earliest located to date. He was born in Cornwall and appears unconnected to the Clendon line being followed. That family did have some emigrate to Adelaide in South Australia in the 1850s.

On-line genealogy gets difficult before the 1560s as at the time parishes were not required to keep and maintain records of births, deaths and marriages. Some did but it is likely that people who were at all peripatetic would be missed.

McGlendon seems to be an Irish name and again no connections are apparent.

The approach of this study therefore has been to focus on the actual name Clendon and variants where it is clear the underlying family was still Clendon.

UK Distribution of the Clendon name 1851

Clendon families obviously moved over time by selecting different census years. The Clendon family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Clendon families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 15 Clendon families living in Warwickshire. This was about 79% of all the recorded Clendon’s in the UK. Warwickshire had the highest population of Clendon families in 1891.