De Cheux
In the northwest of modern France, in what is now the Basse-Normandie Region, there is a
small village named Cheux, which sounds in English like 'chew' or 'choo'. The right column,
topmost satellite image [1] from Google® Earth is a close view of this seemingly
inconsequential village located some ten or so miles west of Caen.
Below it is an ordinance map of Cheux in Calvados district. [2].
In June of 1944, Cheux was at the center of a great battle between Allied Forces and Nazi
Germany. The Allies, mainly American and British troops, landed on the beaches of Normandy
and became victorious in the war against the Germans.
There are enormous amounts of documentation associated with Cheux and the nearby
cemeteries and memorials.
Nearly one thousand years before the invasion of Normandy, the Normans were looking westward
and planning their own invasion of a place called Britain [or England, Saxony, Anglia or whatever name
they called it in their day].
In 1066 they landed on British soil and were victorious against the indigenous people at
the Battle of Hastings. England would never be the same.
At least one man, given name lost in history, accompanied William the Conqueror in that endeavor.
He was a man "of Cheux" ... or deCheux ... and of course, the conquered people called him by his
Norman-French name in phonetic English, which is Chew.
[5] De Cheux's path from Normandy through Hastings in Sussex
to settle in Somerset.
Chew was granted lands in Somersetshire by William the Conqueror. His descendants spread to
other shires, notably Worcestershire, Lancashire and Yorkshire, but our direct ancestors appear
to have come from Chewton in Somerset.
The Chew and Avon Rivers form the Chew Valley, the name of which is disputed and argued by
various "authorities" whose views are presented below. The towns of Chewton Mendip and
Chewton Magna are both named for Chew and it seems perfectly obvious to me that the names
come from Cheux Tonne, just as the name Johnston is derived from people hearing the name
John's Tonne. In any case, numerous family trees disagree on the origins of our primary
immigrant ancestor, John Chew, who arrived in James City, Virginia Colony, in 1622 aboard
the vessel "Charitie".
Some are certain he was born in 1587 or 1590, and in Chewton, Somerset, or Worcestershire,
or Whalley Parish, Lancashire. The preponderance favors Somerset.
CHEW
The House of Names [houseofnames.com] offers this explanation of the name.
The name Chew was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Chew family lived in Somerset. The family was originally
from the area of Cheux, near Carne, and it from a reference to this location that the name
derives. Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling
variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the
Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction
of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French,
also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and
church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific
spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different
spellings. The name has been spelled Chew, Chewe, Chewning, Chue and others.
First found in Somerset, where the family was seated from very early times.
The Chews were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord,
for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political
chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the
New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of
the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the
stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make
invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada.
Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name
Chew or a variant listed above: John Chew and his wife Sarah, who settled in Virginia in
1623; as did Robert Chew in 1663; Ann Chew, who came to Maryland in 1670; Hannah Chew,
who immigrated to Maryland in 1720.
[© houseofnames.com] 
Chew ARMS
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These are the "Ancient Arms of Chew" as offered by House Of Names.com. Below the arms
is an enlargement of the principle devices employed; namely, a ship's wheel and the head of a griffin.
Below you will see the griffin rampant on the arms and flag of Somerset. Somerset[shire] County
is contiguous with Wales which uses a wyvern as its symbol. The wyvern and griffin are both
ancient mythological creatures which have eagle heads and animla bodies, the wyvern being a
dragon and the griffin being a lion. Neither has any connection with Normandie. The only arms
I've found displaying a ship's wheel are of Ryedale District Council in Yorkshire, blazoned
"Gules a Catherine Wheel of nine spokes Argent in chief a Garb Or between two Roses Argent barbed and seeded proper."
You can see it at www.civicheraldry.co.uk/n_yorks.html.
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Above are the two leopard flag of Normandie (they also have a three leopard and a Nordic Cross flag)
followed by the arms of Calvados, where Cheux is located, in Basse-Normandie. Leopards; no
griffins or ship wheels.
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Above are the flag and arms of Somerset in England. Both display a rampant griffin, the head
of which is incorporated in the so-called ancient arms of Chew offered by House of Names. I contend that the three
leopard heads in the blazon are the correct devices for arms of Chew.
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This is the flag regarded as that of William the Conqueror, [Guillaume]
Duke of Normandy, who defeated Harold and made himself William I of England. The island of Guernsey has
adopted this flag as its own with William's gold cross on the red cross of Saint George.
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[1] Close satellite view of Cheux in France
[2] Map of Cheux in France
[3] Google Earth View of Normandy [Cheux is orange marker]
looking across the Channel to
Hastings [green marker] on the British Isle.
[4] Primary locations: Cheux, Hastings, & Somerset
The River Chew
http://www.riverchew.co.uk/history.htm
THE RIVER CHEW is nowadays a largely quiet stream winding though peaceful countryside.
However, for centuries, the valley was filled with the noise of industry created by the
numerous mills situated along its length.
The name 'Chew' is believed to originate in France, with the 'ew' part of the name most
likely derived from the French word 'eau', meaning water. The word 'Chewer' has been known
to denote a narrow passage, whilst 'Chew' can also mean winding water, an accurate
description of the river.
Another theory suggests that the name is derived from the Welsh 'cyw', which means
'the young of an animal or chicken'. Its full Welsh title 'Afon Cyw' would loosely
translate as 'the river of the chickens'.
The Chew Valley area is scattered with sites of antiquity such as the stone circles at
Stanton Drew, the Wansdyke in the Compton Dando and Publow region and numerous sites of
Roman occupation including those at Keynsham and Chew Stoke.
The creation of Chew Valley Lake in the 1950s, in addition to increased abstraction,
has largely regulated the flow of the river. Historical accounts suggest that the river
was once much deeper, wider and more powerful than the river of today, driven by untamed
Mendip run-off water. Todays reduced flow has caused silting in some parts of the river,
especially upstream of weirs and sluices.
The river used to be navigable at numerous points from Chew Magna to Keynsham,
with horse-drawn barges carrying coal from Chewton Keynsham to Bristol, a journey that
reputedly took 5 hours, suggesting that at least one bank of the river was likely to be
without trees.
The energy of the River Chew has been greatly harnessed throughout the centuries,
powering many water mills along its 17 mile course and playing a major part in the
Bristol brass industry. Raw materials were often transported by river between mills.
Nowadays, the sound of the battery hammers has been replaced by birdsong and the distant
hum of traffic, while river transport is non-existent except for the occasional canoeist.
The River Chew is a small river in England. It merges with the River Avon after 17 miles
forming the Chew Valley. The spring from which the Chew rises is just upstream from
Chewton Mendip. The river flows North West from Chewton Mendip through Litton,
Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, Chew Magna and Stanton Drew. The river passes under
the A37 at Pensford almost making the old church and pub garden into an island.
The river then flows through the villages of Publow, Woollard, Compton Dando and
Chewton Keynsham before joining the River Avon at Keynsham. For much of its route a
footpath the Two Rivers Way. In total the Chew flows for some 17 miles through the
North Somerset countryside.
The name 'Chew'
The name 'Chew' has Celtic origins, but its exact meaning isn't certain, however there
have been several explanations, including "winding water", the EW being a variant of the
French EAU meaning water. The word CHEWER is a western dialect for a narrow passage and
CHARE is Old English for turning. Many believe that the name CHEW began in Normandy as
CHEUX, and came to England with the Norman Conquest during the 11th century.
However, some people agree with Ekwall’s interpretation that it is derived from the
Welsh "cyw" meaning "the young of an animal, or chicken", so that "afon Cyw" would have
been "the river of the chickens".
Other possible explanations suggest it comes from the Old English word ceo ‘fish gill’,
used in the transferred sense of a ravine, in a similar way to Old Norse gil, or possibly
a derogatory nickname from Middle English chowe ‘chough’, Old English ceo, a bird closely
related to the crow and the jackdaw, notorious for its chattering and thieving.
According to Robinson it is named after the Viking war god Tiw.
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Citation:
Ancestral Records and Portraits vol 2
Ancestral Records and portraits : a compilation from the archives of Chapter I.,
the Colonial Dames of America / prepared under the direction of the Publication
Committee by the Editorial Department of the Grafton Press. [New York, 1910] p499
[Online at Ancestry.com]
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What it says: Gules, in chief or three leopards' faces proper, a chevron of the
second or.
These are the arms of the Chews of Somersetshire, England, Maryland, Maidstone and Cliveden.
What it means:
"Gules" = the field [shield] is color red /
"in chief or" = the top third is 'or' [color gold] /
"three leopard's faces proper" = natural rather than symbolic faces /
"a chevron of the second or" = gold chevron
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