The Crawford Family name originated in the southern uplands of Scotland where the upper Clyde River Valley (Strathclyde) of South Lanarkshire for centuries was associated with the chief events of Scottish history. Crawford is translated from Strathclyde Gaelic to be a crossing of blood; a bloody (CRU) pass (FORD) and hence Cruford. Within the ancient Crawford homelands in Lanarkshire the remains of a fortress lay on the right bank of the upper River Clyde, where it is supposed many bloody conflicts took place between the Romans and Britons. This fortress was built at a remote period of antiquity and was the scene of one of the noble exploits of Sir William Wallace. [400, 402, 403]

For centuries landed nobility bore a conspicuous part in all the prominent events of Scottish history. When Scotland was a separate kingdom, the King selected Lords, Dukes, Marquises, Earls and Barons to serve as members of the hereditary governing Council (Parliament or Congress). Through several land charters the Crawfords continued to be members of the Council who ruled Scotland while it was independent. These land charters were the basis for the establishment of family branches from which 3 rose to dominance within the Clan. These 3 are identified as the branches of Auchinames, Crawfurdland, and Kilbirnie. It should be noted that other family centers with their own land charters existed in the southern uplands as demonstrated by feudal maps, control of Kerse Castle, and a known early land charter in Galloway. Some of these centers are cadets of the major branches.

Church in the village of Crawford, Lanarkshire in June 1993.

There are references which claim the Crawfords are of Caledonian descent or descended through the Earls of Richmond in Yorkshire via an early grant of the Crawford Barony to Alan, the youngest son of the 4th Earl of Richmond who descended from the Duke of Brittany. This appears to be an erroneous convolution of a later event, earlier ancestors, and a change of names.[401]

Nevertheless, the most widely accepted genealogy is that the Crawfords of Scotland are derived from a Danish chief named Thorlongus (Latin for Thor) whose father, Leofwine of Mercia, and grandfather, Edulf of East Anglia, had married into the Anglo-Saxon monarchy of England in the late 900's and early 1000's. As descendants of Alfred the Great, King of England, Thor and his predecessors were beneficiaries to land grants in the English jurisdiction of Mercia which was known as the Merse in Scotland. However, in 1066 William the Norman defeated Thor's cousin, King Harold, at the Battle of Hastings during Harold's first year as King. Afterward, William the Norman began purging the the Anglo-Saxon land holders in England to consolidate his control by eliminating potential challenges to his sovereignty.

Scottish King Malcolm Canmore (reign 1057-1093) was raised in England. In 1068 after the Battle of Hastings Malcolm married King Harold's sister, Margaret. As the Norman purges progressed after 1066, Thor was driven from Mercia in England to Northumbria in southern Scotland sometime between 1068 and 1070 where he was granted asylum by his cousin Margaret's husband, King Malcolm. [402,405] Consolidating his power in Scotland against William the Norman benefited Malcolm. William invaded Lothian by sea in late 1071 and stayed until he peacefully negotiated a treaty with Malcolm in early 1072.

Seal of Thorlongus

There are several sources for records of this period. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles maintained until 1154 by the Anglo-Saxon monarchy records the chief events of each year. The Doomsday Book compiled in 1086 is a census of the chartered land holders in England, 85% of whom were Norman nobility and knights who migrated from Normandy to England after Hastings. The Battle Abbey Roll of Knights is a record of the Norman participants in the invasion of England. And there are land records which are currently being identified by this author.

Thor's seal contains a few noteworthy points. First, the seal was used at the close of the 11th century and is representative of seals from that era. It has the inscription, "Thor sends his friendship" in Latin. The figure in the seal is wearing a great kilt in the ancient tradition. And the kilt appears to be made with a tartan pattern as shown by faintly visible regular patterns in the kilt material. A plaid (blanket) is worn over the shoulder with a traditional plaid brooch to fasten it to the shoulder.

Thor had a son, Swane (Anglo for Sven), who was granted the lands of Swinton (Sven Town) in Northumbria west of York. Sven is not to be confused with the previously mentioned Earl of Richmond who lived nearby. Sven had a son, Galfridus, who migrated to Lanarkshire in Scotland. Since later defined adjacent parishes of Crawford and Crawfordjohn were granted to the sons of Galfridus, King Edgar (1097-1107) or his brother King Alexander I (1107-1124), who were cousins of Galfridus, apparently granted Galfridus land in Lanarkshire which was previously entirely known as the Barony of Crawford. Galfridus, whose wife was apparently the first Celt in the line, had two sons Hugh and Reginald. From the eldest son, Hugh, came the prime family branch of Crawford parish within the original barony chartered to Galfridus. Another portion of the original barony later known as Crawfordjohn parish was granted to Reginald (1080-1160).

Crawford Castle in Kilbirnie Before Further Decay
(unknown 19th Century source)

The earliest official reference to the Crawford surname is in 1127 when two knights of this name served under King David I (1124-1153), Sir John (Johannes) and Sir Gregan de Crawford, both of whom were the sons of previously mentioned Reginald of Crawfordjohn parish. As oldest son, John received his father's lands in the upper Strathclyde. It is from this John who died in 1140 that the parish received the name Crawfordjohn. Yet another John, the great grandson of that John (d 1140), established the Kilbirnie branch of the Crawfords in North Ayrshire.

In 1127 the above mentioned Gregan was the hero of the legendary incident when King David was saved from a charging stag and founded Holyrood Abbey at Edinburg Castle in commemoration. Another version of the incident has Gregan saving Alan, the heir and only son of the powerful Norman nobleman Sir Reginald de Chaunissey, Earl of Richmond. This incident is recalled in the appearance of the stag and Norman Cross of Lorraine in the Clan crest and the Chief's Arms as well as the Clan motto closely translated "To your trust our strength is returned." For this action Gregan was granted land by King David in Galloway and established the Dalmagregan branch of Clan Crawford.

Remains of Crawford Castle in Kilbirnie

In the charter of William Lindsay conferred by King William the Lion (1165-1214), Johannes de Crawford is mentioned. The Crawford family is also mentioned in charters of 1170, 1190, 1228, 1230, and 1248. The Crawfords in the upper Strathclyde had for many years been allied with the Lindsay family with evidence in land charters and marriages. Lindsays served as the Earl of Crawford (the parish in Lanarkshire) beginning with Sir James Lindsay in 1398. In about 1220 the ancestor of James Lindsay, Sir David de Lindsay of Wauchopdale, married the heiress of the Earldom, the younger daughter of the chartered land holder John Crawford. Sir John Crawford died without male issue in 1248, leaving two daughters. Previously in about 1215 the elder daughter, Margaret, married Archibald de Douglas, ancestor of all the Douglases whose descent can be traced.

Without male heirs in the prime family branch, the right to Clan Chief passed from the prime male heirs of Galfridus' 1st son Hugh to the prime male heirs of his 2nd son Reginald. Thus, when John Crawford died in 1248, the current Sheriff of Ayr became the Clan Chief. In this manner the right to Clan Chief was established in the Auchinames branch of Clan Crawford as the continuous line of prime male heirs of Galfridus' second son, Reginald of Crawfordjohn parish.

Yet another Sir Reginald de Crawford (1180-1250) from Crawfordjohn parish was appointed heritable Sheriff of Ayr by William the Lion (1165-1214). The Crown Office of High Sheriff of Ayr was long held by his prime male descendents. The Sheriff was essentially the Crown's chief executive and decided appeals from the Courts of Barony throughout the shire. Reginald was sometimes called Ranald or Ronald. In about 1200 the Arms of Loudoun were quartered by Reginald upon his marriage with Margaret de Loudoun, the heiress of that extensive barony. By traditions of inheritence, the second Sheriff of Ayr was Hugh, the oldest son of the first Sheriff. John, a younger son of this first Sheriff of Ayr is the ancestor of the Clan branch at Crawfurdland in Ayrshire. Finally, a great great grandson of the first Sheriff of Ayr was granted Auchinames in Lanarkshire by King Robert Bruce (1306-1329) in 1320.

Margaret Crawford's grave at Dunfermline Abby

Sir Hugh Crawford, Reginald's prime grandson, was the 3rd Sheriff of Ayr and lived in the villiage of Corsbie (now known as Crosshouse, 3 miles northwest of Kilmarnock center). Hugh's daughter, Margaret, married Sir Malcolm Wallace of Ellerslie in Ayrshire 1 mile west of Kilmarnock (not to be confused with Elderslie in Renfrewshire) and became the mother of Sir William Wallace, the immortal hero of Scotland. With the power and influence of the High Office of the Sheriff of Ayr within their family, Margaret Crawford's father and brothers risking life and property provided protection for William Wallace after his initial fateful clash with the English. During this time Wallace's Crawford uncles were influencial in training him in the arts of diplomacy, war, and languages as well as nurturing Wallace's tremendous desire to re-establish an independent Scotland. Margaret's father, Hugh, was treacherously murdered by agents of King Edward I (Longshanks) in Ayr in mid-June 1297 with many of the barons of the Council at the infamous Barns of Ayr incident. It was the grand daughter of Margaret's brother, Reginald, who married Duncan Campbell in 1318 and established the Campbell homelands on lands around Loudoun Castle inherited from the Crawford family.

Sir William Crawford of Elcho accompanied his cousin, Wallace, to the French court of King Phillip in 1299 to plead the case of Scottish independence. Wallace's younger brother John and uncle Sir Reginald Crawford, both of whom were prominent in the service of both Wallace and Robert the Bruce, were executed at Carlisle in 1307 for their loyalty to Wallace. Wallace had been executed earlier in August 1305 in London. "In the year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen and won their freedom." As Bannockburn is in Stirlingshire just north of Lanark, there is no doubt that the Crawfords and Wallace's older brother Malcolm fought in the memory of their previously executed nephews, cousins, and uncles in this struggle for Scottish independence. {Braveheart Speech 1.28M}

Malcolm Crawford's Arms in Kilbirnie

Sir William Craufurd of Craufurdland was a brave soldier who was knighted by King James I (1406-1437) and fought for King Charles VII of France. The castle at Craufurdland was much extended in the 17th century. The castle passed to the Howiesons in 1793 and was restored in the 1980s.

During the reign of James II (1437-1460) the Earl of Douglas allied with his cousin, the most powerful noble south of the Forth River, the Earl of Crawford, to counter the power of the King in a long running dispute. Crawford (Lindsay) continually ravaged the lands of the church at St. Andrews to weaken the ability of the King to prosecute Douglas. Being frustrated, the King personally murdered Douglas which eventually led to a lynching of the King.

During the reign of James III (1460-1488) descendants of Archibald Craufurd created the families of Auchenairn, Beanscroft and Powmill. Archibald's son John was killed at the Battle of Flodden near the North Sea costal town of Berwick in 1513.

The last struggles of the Protestant Reformation were waged in the late 1500's. Queen Mary, who attempted to reinstall a Catholic Regency, was exiled to France but still controlled Dunbarton and Edinburgh castles. Her son, James VI, was Protestant and controlled the remainder of the country. On 2 April 1578 Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill, a member of the household of Lord Darnley (husband of Queen Mary), captured Dunbarton Castle for James VI in a raid reminiscent of the era of William Wallace. Using ropes and ladders, Thomas and his small force of 150 men in the darkness of early morning scaled the seemingly insurmountable cliffs and walls protecting the fortress. Sir James Flemming, the castle commander, and his wife were the only escapees from the castle. The Crawford Family crest has ever since been on display in Dunbarton Castle with the motto Ex Pugnavi, as a commemorative of the event. Sir Thomas Crawford later received the surrender of Edinburgh Castle.

Lawrence Crawford (1611-45) fought for Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty Years War and returned to Britain to fight for the Parliamentary forces against King Charles I (1625-1649).

Gallery of Kilbirnie Kirk

Kilburnie Castle and Kirk (Church) were ancient possessions of the family. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1757 and the Earl of Crawford later had it repaired. The Arms of the twelve families allied with the Crawfords are emblazoned on the front of the gallery. Kilburnie Kirk attracts the curious in heraldry and antiquities and is a fair specimen of a humble Scottish Kirk.

Kilbirnie in North Ayrshire was the castellated seat of the house of Crawford. Crawford of Auchinames in Lanarkshire was Chief of the Name, the descendant of whom, Hugh Crawford, 21st of Auchinames, died in Canada in recent years having first sold his heritable property. There is only one Chief at a time and he is identified not only by his unique Arms, but also by the right to wear 3 eagle feathers with his clan crest on his bonnet. A clan chieftain is a regional representative of the Clan appointed by the Chief and is identified by his right to wear 2 eagle feathers with the clan crest. An armiger is any member of the clan with his or her own unique Arms and is identified by the right to wear 1 eagle feather with the Clan crest. All Clan associates are entitle to wear the crest by inheritance, adoption, or grant.

Several other family branches were consolidated around old chartered land grants scattered throughout Ayrshire, Galloway, and Lanarkshire which are adjacent counties several miles south of Glascow. These other numerous land holdings have at various times included Kerse Castle and the adjacent Cathcarts Crawfords. During the civil war (1640-1660) and clearances (1700's), some of the Crawfords immigrated to Northern Ireland to establish homelands there. But certainly there was migration between Scotland and Ireland long before.

Center of Activity in Crawford, Lanarkshire on a Typical Rainy Day, June 1993

In 1790 the US Congress authorized the first official national census. There were 377 Crawford families counted. The average American Crawford family had 5.5 members. The Crawford families were concentrated in Pennsylvania and Virginia (107), New York (52), North Carolina(40), South Carolina (36), Conneticut (34), and Maryland (30). An additional 78 families lived in other states. 1,600 single adult and juvenile Crawfords were not included among these families. Most of these were frontier people.

Crawford was the 75th most frequent surname at the Scottish Registry Office in 1995. The Clan plant is boxwood, a sprig of which is typically worn at clan gatherings on spears, staffs, guidons, or with the clan badge on the bonnet. Wearing of the Clan plant was the primary ancient method of Clan identification and was later replaced by unique Clan tartans.