The name Clutterbuck, or Cloterboke in various spellings, did not exist in England before the Middle Ages. Instead, a long line of Cloterbokes lived in Holland as merchants and weavers. Descendants of this ancient line still live there today and their ancestors share the same coat of arms as the English family, although with different colours or tinctures. This suggests that the two most likely share the same origins.
There are no written records to verify how or why the family arrived in England, as most local history at the time was passed down the generations by word of mouth. It is possible that the family may have settled in Gloucestershire in the wake of the Norman Invasion as there was a constant stream of workmen, merchants and others who migrated to England from the Low Countries during this time.
In fact, the first known written record of the name in England is an entry for ‘Cluterboc of Gloucestershire’ in the Doomsday Book of William the Conquerer, which was an account of all the men in England with land or possessions of stock in 1086.