The family home was at Carew, Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Caeriw) from a fortified site and later castle, and originally a holding of Nest's royal father, Rhys Ap Tewdwr.
[8] John Marius Wilson's 'Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales' (1870–72) has 'Carew, or Carey, a village and a parish in the district and county of Pembroke'.
Bannister (1871) writes that Carew is 'pronounced Car'-ew in Ireland; Car-ew' in Devon; Carey in Cornwall and Wales' (my italics).
[5] However, Carey in Britain generally is either from any one of at least six immigrant Gaelic-Irish patronymics Anglicised thus,[9][10] or is from a Pre-Celtic[11] or Celtic language river/habitation name in Somerset and Devon.
In Ireland, after the invasion, the de Carreus, or Carews, held the barony of Idrone in County Carlow, without relinquishing their holdings in Britain.
[15] Another Norman branch, which may or may not be related to the Idrone Carews, said to be descended from Adam Montgomery de Carrew, settled in East Cork, at Garryvoe, in the 12th century.
Paul MacCotter has claimed in 'Irish Roots' (1997) that the rare East Cork Carews survive under the form 'Carey';[7] although the Garryvoe family definitely died out in the male line in the 1660s (Brit Mus.MS 4820); and Carey in this area is regarded as an Anglicisation of Ó Ciaráin.
The 'Court of Claims' in Ireland, 15 July 1663, adjudicates a request for return of lands in and around Mobernan in County Tipperary forfeited by 'Teige Carrue alias O Carron'.
He says "Prater hos alia est antiquae nobilitatis domus nimirum Domini Carue Imakellanse, a Thomas Carue (de quo Paulo ante tractavimus) suam protrahit parentelam, ex qua etiam aliae non ignobiles familiae excreverunt, quo abusive Hibernico Idiomate Carran appellantur.
Some Carews, according to family legend/family trees, moved from Pembrokeshire to the English West Country, and settled in Crowcombe in Somerset, Haccombe in Devon and Antony House in Cornwall.
It is also highly likely that the surnames Carew and Carrow in Cornwall are variants of Cornish locative names such as Kerrow, Caroe &c. with derivations from either Celtic 'car/ker'- 'fort' or pre-Celtic 'car'- 'stone/stony'.