An Introduction to The House of Crawford: Clan Crawford Booklet

This is the story of the Scottish lowland surname known through Scottish history since the middle ages (12th century) as THE HOUSE OF CRAWFORD. It is an ancient family from the Uplands of Southern Scotland. Their original seat was the barony of Crawford in Lanarkshire, thus the surname of Crawford refers to where we came from. We have an international society called the Clan Crawford Association (CCA), which includes members from Scotland, England, Ireland, Sweden, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and other places. The Clan Crawford Association was granted arms by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in Scotland on 13 February, 2012 integrating the two coats of arms that have historically represented the surname, Gules a fess ermine & a stag’s head erased. The name ‘House of Crawford,’ in the Lowland Scottish tradition of identifying same surnamed extended families, is the most appropriate term for those surnamed Crawford. However, following modern practice, the term ‘clan’ is also used, thus the Clan Crawford Association was founded in 2006 to provide a society for those with the surname. The most common variations in the spelling of Crawford are as follows, by order of frequency of usage: Crawford (English variant), Craufurd (in Scotland), Crawfurd, (Scotland historically and England since the 18th century) Crafoord (Sweden), Crafford (Netherlands & South Africa), Crofford (variant, most commonly found in the US), Crauford (old), Craufuird (oldest recorded), Krafort (early in Scotland and 1600s in Sweden), Crowfoot (England). Crawfords have close marriage ties to many other prominent Scottish families such as Barclay, Blair, Campbell, Cathcart, Colquhoun, Crichton, Cunningham, Douglas, Fleming, Fullarton, Galbraith, Graham, Hamilton, Houston, Graham, Kennedy, Lindsay, Montgomery, Semple, Stewart, Wallace & others. The Crawford surname derives from the barony of Crawford in Clydesdale in the Southern Uplands near the source of the River Clyde. It dates from the 12th century when surnames were first adopted in Scotland. Crawfords have spread around the world, first from our original lands into Ayrshire and then to Northern Ireland and Europe, and later to North America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other lands. The house is represented by the Clan Crawford Association, which unites Crawfords internationally. Crawfords are an ancient Scottish house, which over the centuries has represented Scotland at home and abroad in many endeavors, including wars and diplomacy. We are very proud of our heritage and history. — ISBN13: 9781482396119