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From CFA Newsletter July 1985

900th Anniversary Clopton
Reunion
Halley's Comet appeared in 1066 the year our direct ancestor Guillaume (William) Pe'che', companion of William the. Conqueror invaded England. In 1986 Halley's Comet again will appear when his descendants, the Clopton Family, invade Williamsburg, Va. Next year is also the 900th anniversary of the Domesday Survey wherein the family name Pe'che' is set aside in favor of de Cloptunne indicating the place or hamlet within the town of Wickhambrook in Suffolk where the family settled after the invasion. Come join the celebration! It will be held July 10-12, 1986, in Williamsburg, Virginia, the heart of one of the most interesting vacation areas in America.

Rose Rent Paid for 1986
Payment in advance of Sir William Clopton's rental for the Guildhall and market property in the town of Hadleigh in Suffolk, England was made on Sunday June 2, 1985. The family have stipulated that the rose be paid in advance hereafter in view of the lapse of 512 years in rent payment (from 1472 to 1984). Rev. Christopher Sansbury, rector of Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford invited the Hadleigh Town Council and Foefment Trust to Long Melford on Holy Trinity Sunday for the rose payment. Bishop Sansbury, father of Christopher, led the services which included holy communion. He also gave a brief history of the rose rental and invited the mayor of Hadleigh to come forward and present the rose to Gene Clopton who had travelled to Long Melford to represent the family for the occasion. A processional then moved to Sir William Clopton's tomb and the rose was laid on his effigy. Afterward, the ladies of the parish served a delicious buffet luncheon to the guests in the Lady Chapel. It would be appropriate for different members of the family to go to Long Melford on Holy Trinity Sunday to accept the rose payment in future years. If you would like to represent the family on this occasion at some future date, contact Gene at (404) 981-6674 evenings.

English Visitors to Our Reunion
Many of our friends from Hadleigh and Long Melford have expressed keen interest in coming over for a vacation in the U.S. to coincide with our reunion in Williamsburg July 10-12, 1986. Bill and Peggy Clopton of Atlanta are coordinators for British Visitors and American Hosts. If you would like to host some of the anticipated forty visitors coming over from England, call Bill or Peggy at 404-491-9193. The following have said they are planning to come over from England: Sir Richard and Lady Jean Hyde Parker and their four children-Gene Clopton will host Charles and Joan Hyle Brown-Gene Clopton will host Sam Block, Lord of Castlings Hall Mr. & Mrs. John Abbott, John is president of the Long Mel ford Council. Mr. & Mrs. Cyril Cook, Cyril is the mayor-elect of Hadleigh. Mr. Chris Culpin. Chris is the past mayor of Hadleigh of rose fame.

Rose Payment a Record?
Mr. McWhirter of Guiness Superlatives, Ltd. has been in touch with a member of the Clopton family. He has inquired if we would consider the rose payment the "oldest in arrears of rental ever collected." The story is being reviewed by the Guiness Book of Records for possible inclusion in a future edition. We'll keep you posted on developments.

Clopton Family Name 900 Years Old in 1986.
The survey of land holdings in England ordered by William the Conqueror and published in 1086 A.D. lists the estate of Cloptuna in Wickhambrook, Suffolk. The estate was a league (3 miles) long and 3 quarentines (six tenths of a mile) wide and held approximately eleven hundred acres. It had five parcels of land, three of which were granted by King William to Richard de Bienfiate son of Earl Gislebert. The "Earl Gislebert" referred to was Gilbert, Count of Brionne in Normandy, France a cousin of Duke William. Count Gilbert was the guardian of Duke William when he was a boy. In 1044 A.D. Count Gilbert (or Gislebert in latin form) was killed in Duke William's bed chamber while protecting the 14-year-old boy from would-be assassins. The Duke repaid Count Gilbert's sons by granting them huge tracts of land in England after the Battle of Hastings. Two of Duke William's companions in arms at Hastings were Richard de Bienfaite and William Peche. Both are listed on the Falaise Rolls as prominant companions in arms at Hastings. Richard de Bienfaite was also known by several other names in historical docurfients: Richard fitz Gibert, Richard of Ton-bridge and Clare, Richard Gislebert, and Richard of Orbec. It is likely that he was the father of our ancestor William Peche. All of Richard de Bienfaite's grandsons were known by the surname Peche. In no other family in England do we find that surname. William Peche was an undertenant of either Richard or Richard's other sons-Gislebert, Walter and Robert, on many estates in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. William Peche or his sons inherited many of the manors and estates where he was undertenant, presumably from his father Richard. In the 1300's the lands of Clopton amounted to a great Barony in size. Cloptuna One of the parcels in Cloptuna, also known as Copletuna, in saxon times had 2011/2 acres and was held by two socmen (i.e. soccage, or tenancy by rent or agricultural service). There were nine bordars, two serfs and two plow teams in demense and a half plow team belonging to the men. Also three acres of woods and meadow sufficient to support four hogs, two rouncies, six beasts (oxen) and forty sheep. At the time of the survey in 1086 there were twelve beasts, 80 sheep, 30 hogs and three hives of bees. The value in saxon time was 20 shillings and had increased in 1086 to 40 shillings. A second parcel in Cloptuna had been held in saxon times by Levett, a freeman. It consisted of 1 1/2 carucates of land (180 acres), a villein, a bordar and three serfs, a plow team (increased to two teams at the time of the survey) four acres of meadow, a rouncy, ten beasts and 83 sheep. By 1086, 34 hogs had been added and the value increased from 20 shillings to 30s. Three other properties were held by Richard in Wickham-brook consisting of 60 acres, 12 acres and 7 acres respectively. William Peche was undertenant on several of the Cloptuna parcels. In the early 1100's, William Peche's son William de Clop-tuna, held Clopton Hall and Chappely Manor in Wickham-brook. Thus dating from the record of Domesday, the family takes its name from the land of Cloptuna in our possession as of 1086 A.D. Chappely Manor From the original land grants, the Cloptons held Chappely Manor in Wickhambrook. They founded and ordered Chappely (Chipley) Priory on the site and most of the early members of the family were buried at Chipley Priory. The site is now a farm near Poslingford called Chipley Abbey. A few carved stones are all that remain of the Priory. Mrs. Wheatley who now owns the farm found a number of human bones by the garden which were re-interred. Also a stone coffin from the site is now at Poslingford Church. A lead coffin once known to have been on the site has since disappeared. We know the names of many family members buried at Chipley Priory (from the wills) and some day we may want to erect a simple monument on the site.

Clopton Chantry Chapel
Deterioration of the Medieval wall paintings in the Clopton Chantry Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk, England, has been aggravated by the penetration of damp. An ad hoc committee consisting of Sir Richard Hyde Parker, Bart., Gene Clopton, Charles Hayle-Brown and Rev. Christopher Sansbury are looking into 'the costs of repairing the fabric of the Chapel and restoring the blue sky and gold gilt stars of the ceiling, repainting and retouching the lettering of the prayers written around the walls. Under no circumstances will the original medieval wall paintings be touched although every effort will be made to record them photographically for posterity should they deteriorate further. The architectural firm of Purcell Miller, Tritton and Partners have surveyed the Chapel and have recommended fabrics repairs totalling £15,850. In addition, the work of restoring the armorial bearings, lettering & ceiling will be quoted shortly. In summary it looks as if we can restore the Chapel for less than thirty thousand pounds to last another five hundred years. A plan of contribution is being formulated, bearing in mind that the bulk of the cost will be borne by only a few of us but con templating that many Clopton descendants will want to take some part in the restoration. All contributors will be permanently memorialized in the chapel by a plaque mounted on the wall. Permission has already been received to mount the plaque. Details on the program will be sent to everyone later on.

Clopton Arms
The Clopton coat of arms printed last year by Kevin Clopton has been well received. Among the many letters of approval there was one negative comment. "Why," asks one family member, "did you use such an ugly wolf on the arms?" It is a good question and one which deserves a thoughtful reply. The coat of arms was meticulously copied wolf and all, from the authentic 15th century medieval Clopton arms on file in the British Museum. This is no prettified, stylized modern sissy wolf but a vicious snarling beast of the deep forest born in the mind of medieval man. Ancient authenticity such as this distinguishes Clopton history and geneology and makes it unique in the world. We can do no less than faithfully report that history as it actually was to the best of our ability.

Excerpt from Falaise Roll
GUILLAUME PECHE. William Peche the companion of the Conqueror at Senlac occurs as Willielmus Peccatum in Domesday, where he is listed as an under-tenant in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. In the latter county he held Netherhall of Richard de Bienfaite, son of Gilbert, count of Brionne, whose kinsman he is believed to have been. Ralph Peche, perhaps his son, about 1113 received from Robert de Clare, the second son of Richard de Bienfaite, the manor of Birdbrook in Essex. The relationship of these families is borne out htr the fart that some of the sons of Robert bore the ancestor of the barons of Brunne, which barony he acquired in 1134 in right of his wife Alice, a co-heir of William Pevrel. He held one of his own of twelve knights fees in Suffolk and was sheriff of Cambridge from 1164 to 1166. Another son of Robert Fitz Richard named Robert Peche was bishop of Ely and still another, Simon Peche or P6ccatum Fitz Robert, possessed estates in Suffolk and Norfolk in 1130,1 including probably Trillawe, Suffolk, which had belonged to Richard de Bienfaite in 1086. Simon was baron of Daventry by his father's gift2 and was the ancestor of the Thurlows of Burnham, Nor

From CFA Newsletter September 1986

200 Attend Clopton Family Reunion in Williamsburg

To the skirl of bagpipes, 200 beautiful/handsome, ebullient, witty and intelligent (your writer excepted) members of the Clopton family made their way into the banquet room of the Williamsburg Lodge Saturday evening, July 12, 1986. Never before in history have so many Clopton descendents gathered together in one place at one time and had so much fun in the process.
Beginning around noon on Thursday, members of the family from throughout the United States began to gather in the Williamsburg Lodge. A hospitality room was opened and displays of Clopton memorabilia were set up.
- Thursday evening a reception and buffet was held in the
Tidewater Room. It was an opportunity to meet long-lost relatives and discover other kinfolks never before seen. The crowd formed into constantly shifting knots of people. It was impossible to meet a stranger anywhere in the room. So interesting was the experience that many lingered on into the evening trying to catch up on years of family history.
Friday morning was set aside for visiting beautiful Colonial Williamsburg. In the afternoon, the family gathered in the North Ballroom for a question and answer session with Isabel Steiner, Jeff Clopton and Gene Clopton fielding the fast flow of questions from the assemblage.
Election of Officers
Saturday morning there was an election to choose family members to do the work of running the family association. The Slate of officers proposed was Dean Clopton of New York City, President; Jeff Clopton of Jefferson City, Iowa as 1st Vice President; Judith West of Brevard,bNorth Carolina, as Secretary; and Isabel Clopton Steiner of Chester, Virginia, Treasurer and Editor of the family newsletter. Colonel Frank Slate then made a statement. -Even though he says he has done his bit for the family. I propose Gene CloptOri be elected as our first President. He can resign after the banquet tonight if he.wants to and all the other officers can then move up one placer Frank's suggestion was accepted and Gene served as family president for the one day. resigning in favor of Dean Clopton at the end of the banquet that evening. Frank Slate was also appointed permanent town crier for the family.
San Antonio to Host 1988 Reunion
The gathering decided that the Clopton Family should continue to hold periodic reunions. After much discussion the members present voted overwhelmingly to hold reunions every two years (the choices were: Every two years; every three years: every four years or every five years with the reunion to be held

in a different part of the United States each time with periodic reunions in England). It was voted to hold the next reunion in San Antonio, Texas in 1988 and to return to Long Melford. England, in 1990. The many Texans present immediately held a caucus and began planning to hold the reunion in a hotel beside the San Antonio river (It looks a little like a canal in Venice at that point with sidewalk cafes and barges of sightseers constantly passing). Nearby is the Alamo, scene off Davey Crockett's hotly contested and untimely demise.
A Visit Back in Time<br> In the afternoon, we boarded buses for the drive from Williamsburg to Saint Pet s rish Church in nearby New Kent County. There in t e churchyard, we found the graves of William Clopton (born c. 1655) and his wife Ann Booth Clopton. The graves are covered by marble slabs provided by the will of Lydia Clopton McKay. The new slabs cover over the much weathered and worn original slabs a saw the original slabs in 1953 and only the coat of arms and the name William Clopton was visible on his tomb. Most of the other lettering was illegible. Ann's tomb was still readable). They are buried beneath some trees near the northeast corner of the church:
Later, Reverend Coffey showed a slide presentation on the history of the church. A high church evensong service was then held for the family. It was a moving experience. The choir was inspirational as was the entire service. Despite some unexpected problems with buses failing at the worst possible times, we all made it back {just barely) to the Williamsburg Lodge in time to get ready for the banquet.
A Feast For All Senses
-Beginning withra reception in the Lodge's North Gallery.at 7:00 Saturday evening and ending with the benediction by Reverend Coffey, the banquet was an outstanding experience. Isabel Steiner and Frank and Dudley Slate did a superb job of planning this event.
First the pipers with their bagpipes led the family into the Banquet Hall. Then, the pipers returned bearing the Clopton armorial banner which was placed behind the rostrum. Frank Slate, dressed in his official uniform of towne crier for the village of Long Melford read a greeting to the Clopton Family. The pipers then brought in the British flag while the British national anthem was played.
Frank then read a greeting to our English visitors immediately followed by the Star Spangled Banner and the parading in of the American flag. John Abbot then presented a proclamation from

the Long Melford Parish Council which Frank read aloud to the assemblage:
"Parish of Long Melford, Suffolk, England
We the elected members to the Council of the Parish of Long Melford in the County of Suffolk, England, do send greetings and congratulations upon the occasion of this celebration marking the 900th Anniversary of the Family Clopton, once of this parish, now domiciled in the United States of America.
To further strengthen the bonds which presently exist between us, we hereby declare that henceforth from this date, all members of the Family Clopton, their heirs and successors are granted the entitlement of . . .
Honorary Parishioners of Long Melford
Dated this First day of July 1986, in the reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II"

Story of the Rose
Gene Clopton then related the story of the rental of one red rose owed since 1438 to the Cloptons by the town of Hadleigh, Suffolk, England. Mr. Ray Law, clerk of the Hadleigh town council then presented this year's rose rent to Gene Clopton commenting that, don't want people to think that I make a habit of travelling around the world presenting roses to strange men, or even those who aren't strange.. ." he commented in a marvelous tongue-in-cheek address. He related council plans to improve the guildhall to conform to health regulations for the use of the scout troop and other citizen groups.
The rose was then handed to John Abbott, president of the Long Melford Parish Council, who agreed to return the rose to Holy Trinity Church and place it on Sir William Clopton's tomb. (A special rose ceremony was subsequently held in Long Melford upon John Abbott's return home.)
Father Paul Barrus, who holds a Ph.D. in literature and is an ordained Catholic Priest serving in Grand Prairie, Texas, offered the blessing.
A sumptous meal based on an authentic colonial menu, was served followed by a brief greeting and address from Her Majesty's Consul, Mr. Roy Doherty, from the British Embassy in Washington, DC.
Rev. Coffey then read the benediction and the 900th Anniversary Reunion of the Clopton Family was then adjourned.

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sunday, July 13, 1986
Clopton family
900 and counting
By Wilford Kale Times-Dispatch state staff
WILLIAMSBURG - The surname Clopton isn't a common one, but American family members say it may be the oldest surviving English family name.
and name dates from at least 1086
and the days of the Norman conquest of Saxon England. The name is in the famous Domesday Book, which William the Conqueror had compiled on all the landholdings in England. This year's 900th anniversary of that book has brought the Clopton family together this weekend for a reunion.
Since 1086, there have been 28 generations of Cloptons: 17 in England and 11 in the United States.
The organizer of the reunion and president of the Clopton Family Association is Gene Clopton of Stone Mountain, Ga., who for the last 20 years has been researching his family history and working on its genealogy.
Isabel Clopton Steiner of Chester has been the reunion's coordinator.
Williamsburg was chosen as the reunion site, Gene Clopton explained, because for at least 150 years the hulk of the American Cloptons lived in New Kent and York counties.
"William Clopton. the son of the Rev. William Clopton of Essex, Eng-. land, first came to the colony of Virginia in 1671. He made three trips back and forth to England as a transporter of settlers and received grants of land for hi$,efforts," Gene Clopton said."He was, .the last of the Clopton family in England, and we've not been able to find any Cloptons there now."
William Clopton settled in New Kent and eventually was one of the founders and., an early vestryman of St. Peter's Parish Chqrch, Gene Clap-ton said.
The history and genealogy of the family over the last 900 years have been outlined in Gene Clopton's 360- page family book. Activities for family members began Thursday and will continue through today at the
Williamsburg Lodge Conference Center.
Friday afternoon was devoted to a question-and-answer session, as various Cloptons from Missouri, Iowa, Texas, Georgia and Idaho sought information about their ancestors. Jeff Clopton of Jefferson, Iowa, also discussed his forthcoming book, "Norman Blood," about the family's English ancestors.
Yesterday's activities included a pilgrimage and evensong service at St. Peter's and a banquet for the more than 200 Cloptons attending.
"The nice thing about the reunion," Mrs. Steiner said, "is that you have such a warm family feeling. There are so many of us who have never had the opportunity to meet each other. I'm sure we'll keep in touch and maybe we'll do this reunion again."
Word about the reunion was passed to hundreds of newspapers throughout the country, and many family members read about it first in their local newspaper.
Doris Holmes of Dallas came to Virginia to try to find out something about her great-grandmother, Sarah Susan Clopton, who was born in 1834. "I also really want to find out about her brothers and sisters. We don't know anything about them," she said.
Throughout the reunion, family members huddled around the large genealogical charts, which take the family from York County, Va., to its Norman roots. Others sat around swapping family names and hoping to find out more about grandfathers and grandmothers.
"Hey, that's Myrtle's oldest girl. You remember cousin Myrtle Clop-ton," one Clopton said to another.
Robert Clopton of Minneapolis met Robert Cloptun of Houston and, while they were talking, Robert Clopton of Magnolia, Ky., joined them.
The American Cloptons are descended from the five children of William Clopton of York snd New Kent counties. Those children were Robert,

William, Walter, Elizabeth and Ann.
"Descendants from all five branches are with us this weekend," Gene Clopton said proudly.
Two first cousins from Texas were searching for other descendants of Elizabeth Clopton. Others wanted to know where Walter's descendants were.
Gene Clopton has identified about 2,400 Cloptons who' r Iived across the United States: Abou' .,000 of them are alive today.
Father Paul Barrus, a Roman Catholic priest from Grand Prairie, Texas, and a descendant of Robert Clopton, came to the reunion "because I wanted to know who I am. This gives me a feeling of orientation. I've found relatives I never knew I had and have located some more direct descendants of Robert."
Cloptons fought on both sides during the Civil War, some in the 3rd Virginia Cavalry and others in the 39th Iowa Infantry. Other Confederate Cloptons served in units from Georgia and South Carolina and other Yankees were in units from Illinois and Indiana.
Cloptons were able to pick up family souvenirs, including pen-and-ink sketches of old family homes in England, badges, crests, the genealogy book and memorabilia from the town of Hadleigh and the parish of Long Melford.
Although there are no Cloptons in England today, the bonds to England and the Suffolk area, where family members lived for hundreds of years, are very strong. In fact, the first reunion was held in 1984 in Long Mel-ford Parish, Suffolk.
A Sir William Clopton, a knight when knighthood was in flower, is buried in the Church of the Holy Trinity, one of the great medieval Suffolk churches. The Clopton coat of arms and members of the family are featured in several stained glass windows in the church. There is also a Clopton family chapel, honoring John Clopton, founder of the church, and his father, Sir William.
With Sir William, Gene Clopton explained, comes one of the most interesting bits of family lore. In 1438, Sir William made a grant for land and buildings in the town of Hadleigh where the guild hall now stands. To make the contract binding, the town was to pay the Cloptons one red rose each year, plus 2 cents interest.
Apparently the payments were not made between 1472 and 1984, when the Cloptons returned to England and discovered that rents were long overdue. The town mayor gave five red roses then as a token payment in renewal, and yesterday Ray Law, the

Hadleigh town clerk, was in Williamsburg to make the rose payment again.
Gene Clopton received the rose and immediately gave it to John Abbott, chairman of the Long Melford Parish Council, Suffolk, who was visiting the reunion. Abbott will return the rose to England, where it will be placed on Sir William's grave.
The family wants to maintain its English connection and is helping to support the church at Long Melford.
Just for the record, Gene Clopton explained, the name Clopton comes from a Saxon manor taken over by the Normans when they conquered England in 1066. The land was conveyed to a William Peche, one of William the Conqueror's colleagues. The name Clopton in Saxon means "the alarm giver."
Soon afterward, Peche changed his name to William de Clopton. By the Domesday Book in 1086, he was listed with property at Clopton in Wickham-brook, Suffolk. And the family surname has existed since.

T-D photo
ROSE PAYMENT - (Left to right) Ray Law, town clerk of Hadleigh, England; Gene Clopton, president of the Clopton Family Association; John Abbott, chairman of the Long Melford Parish Council; and Francis Slate, the Cloptons' official crier.