The Sign
The old town sign is located outside the Ancient House Museum, made of wrought iron and shows the arms of the Earls of Clare. It was given by the local Women's Institute in 1969 to commemorate their Golden Jubilee. The sign also advertises the Roman Camp and Norman castle and bailey below the shield and the fact it is a Medieval wool town.

The more recent sign was erected in 2009 at the other end of the town. It consists of a painted panel in a wooden frame with a small protective canopy on top. The Earls of Clare arms is present at the top of the post. The panel is split into three main areas above the town name.

Top: Clare Castle remains on the left and the church of St Peter and St Paul on the right.

Middle: The central depiction is a copy of the Swan Inn public house sign, which may have originated from the castle. There are two small shields showing the arms of Richard Duke of York or arms of France and England on the left and the arms of Mortimer, Earl of March quartering de Burgh on the right. In the centre is a swan with a coronet collar around its neck attached to a gold chain in turn attached to a tree which together form the crest of Cloely, Duchess of York, wife of Richard, to whom Edward IV gave the castle and honour of Clare in Dower. The crescent ensigned with a star between its horns was also a royal device. Not sure about the tree on the right whether they are grapes or a mulberry bush!

Bottom: Clare Priory is on the left and The Ancient House Museum on the right.

The Name and Population
The population was 2,028 at the 2011 census and is probably Suffolk's smallest town. It was called Clara in 1086 and  Clare in 1198. The name probably comes from Latin meaning "The clear one". A small stream known as 'Clarus' was recorded in 1618.

Other Points of Interest

There are four churches in Clare: The Clare Priory Chapel, St Peter and St Paul Anglican church, United Reform Church and a Baptist church. Quakers were once very strong in the area.

There are also four public houses in the town: The Swan, The Bell, The Cock and The Globe.

During the 14th century the Castle was home to one of the wealthiest women in England, Elizabeth de Burgh. Clare was very prosperous in Medieval times as it was a centre for the wool and cloth trade and the Church and many of the listed houses were built then using the wealth brought to the town.

Steve Harley from Cockney Rebel fame lived here.

Within the boundaries of Clare Parish lies what appears to be an ancient camp, an earthwork enclosure known variously as Erbury, Clare Camp or the Anglo-Roman fort, at the north end of the town, just to the west of Bridewell Street. The name Erbury is first seen in an inquest and land valuation in 1295, referring to a house, the land around it and a garden. This seemed to be part of the largest and most profitable pasture land in the area, lying outside the town and forming a part of Clare Manor. Erbury means 'earthen fort' from Old English.

Clare St Peter and St Paul