This is a story of connections. Since my mother is a Crawford, and they were 
good at keeping records, the journey begins here.....
...CRAWFORD
THE story of the place where one lives and of its people is the beginning of 
history and biography. Knowledge begins at home, and from this present living 
centre, it spreads outwards in space and back-wards in time, till the world 
and its history are known, and by the light of the present, the past and 
distant become intelligible. 
The origin of this family may be Norman as their name Crawford or Crauford is 
of the territorial origin of Crawford in the upper Clyde River Valley in 
Lanarkshire.  although some have asserted an Anglo-Danish ancestry. While 
information exists on more primative events, the Crawford legacy as a Scottish 
Clan begins with a Danish Chief, Thorlongus (Thor the tall), who fled the 
Norman invaders in 1066 and was later granted the area around Ednam 
(Berwickshire) in Scottish King Malcolm's effort to strengthen his borders 
against the Norman invaders. Doubtless this advice came from his new Queen and 
second wife, Margaret (sister of defeated King Harold and cousin to Thor). 
Thor was the first layman (non-royal and non-monk) to construct a church 
inside the borders of Scotland with his own resources. The Merse, the locale 
from which Thor is best known, is the area west of Berwick and north of the 
River Tweed. But he is also known in documents as the Overlord of Crawford.
Near the source of the Clyde on Crawford Moor, the fact that in wild country 
peasants have discovered scrapings of gold after heavier rains there, has long 
led to hopes of riches. Certainly lapis lazuli is dug up daily with hardly any 
labour. Crawford Castle, along with the title of Earl of Crawford, was given 
by King Robert II to James (1) Lindsay, who won great praise for bravery in 
single combat with the Englishman Baron Welles

The surname is followed back to the late 1000's when the Barony of Crawford is 
noted in records. This surname is officially and legally recognized as an 
independent noble house of Scotland. Members of this Clan have played the most 
important roles in establishing and reuniting Scotland as a nation.

Local historians differ as to the derivation of the word Crawford. Carrick 
says it is a corruption of two Celtic words, Crodh Phort
pronounced Cro Forst, signifying a sheltering place for cattle. Moir Porteous 
suggests the "ford of crows," because there is a ford over the Clyde in 
Watling Street, where the old Roman road crosses, and crows nest in the trees 
round the old castle which is close at hand. Haddow favours "the bloody ford," 
from krew (Strathclyde Celtic) "blood." Since Crawford has come within the 
genial influence of the Golf Stream, on the bend, from the Aryan kar "to 
curve," seems a likely etymology. However this may be decided, the district 
comes early into notice in Scottish history. At first it is called Crawford-
Lindsay, from its connection with the Lindsay family, then Crawford-Douglas, 
some-times Douglas Moor, from its next possessors, the Douglases; later, since 
sheep and grouse have become prominent, Crawfordmoor.

Crawford was the centre of the covenanting district, and the memory of the 
brave men who delivered their country from civil and ecclesiastical tyranny is 
kept green in Upper Clydesdale.

The early history of Clan Crawford is diverse and complicated. And like so 
many other Clan histories, competing theories of Crawford history are 
difficult to decipher looking back 900 years through 30 generations. However, 
by employing all we know about the secular and religious history of the period 
and using certain physical and biological rules [eg. a person can't be in 2 
places at the same time, people 15- and 50+ years typically are not prolific 
reproducers, and nobody lived over 100 years] we can sort out competing 
theories.
As a Southern Upland Family, the Crawfords didn't strictly follow the 
traditions of Highland Clans. There are no septs or affiliated surnames under 
the Crawford surname. But like all surnames, the spelling has undergone the 
effects of various cultures. One general rule is that the use of 'u' is Scots 
and the use of 'w' is Anglo. The variety of spellings includes most of the 
combinations in the table to the right. The most numerous surname worldwide is 
the Anglo spelling 'Crawford' with the Scottish spelling 'Craufurd' mostly in 
Scotland a distant second. 
The Clan has been without official recognition under Scottish Law since the 
last registered Clan Chief (Hugh Ronald George, b 1873) died in Alberta, 
Canada in the 1960's after having sold all of his heritable property, leaving 
nothing to unite around but historic legacy. Unfortunately this has led to the 
recent misunderstanding that the Crawford surname is a sept of Clan Lindsay, 
Clan Boyd, and even a few other clans, which according to Lord Lyon is 
inherently inappropriate. Regardless of unsupported claims, Lord Lyon 
recognizes Clan Crawford with an official line of Chiefs having for centuries 
registered Arms showing no differencing (except internal to cadets of the 
Clan) or allegiance to another clan. 
Furthermore, a sound legal argument can be made that members of Clan Lindsay 
could actually form a sept of the independent noble House of Crawford. Using 
the widely accepted definition of a sept, "Clan Septs and dependents comprise 
those who were descended from the Chief through the female line and 
consequently bore a different surname and those who sought and obtained the 
protection of the Clan and became dependents." As shown in the genealogy, all 
members of Clan Lindsay are descendants of the Chiefs of Clan Crawford, while 
few of the Crawford surname are by coincidence descendants of the Chiefs of 
Clan Lindsay. Therefore, only a few of the Crawford surname are eligible to be 
dependents of Clan Lindsay if they wish and are accepted, but all of the 
Lindsay surname are eligible to be a sept of Clan Crawford if they wish and 
are accepted. 
The primary surname branch terminated with the death of John Crawford in 1248 
(1246), known as "Dominus de eodem miles" or "Lord of Knightly Purpose" in 
numerous donation documents. The Lordship of half of the Barony of Crawford 
and the original old Crawford Castle passed from the Crawford Family to the 
Lindsay Family through the earlier marriage (1215) of John's daughter to David 
Lindsay. A few Lindsays unofficially lay claim to the entire Crawford family 
based on this marriage. It is important to note that even at this time there 
was no Lyon Court to establish recognized clans and therefore allegience to 
the Lindsey's could not have been established. 
But it is Galfridus Swaneson's secondary branch from Crawfordjohn Parish that 
carried the surname and the Chief's Arms in the time since 1248. It isn't 
until after David Lindsay took control of the Barony in 1248 we learn that 
John Crawfurd still had claim to a portion of the Barony, Crawfurdjohn Parish. 
This is the primary evidence that 4 generations before John Crawfurd and David 
Lindsay the Barony was divided between Galfridus Swaneson's sons, Hugh and 
Reginald. 
What is the Clan plant? 
Boxwood - In the days prior to the tartan registry and other modern 
formalities, boxwood was worn to identify the individual associated with Clan 
Crawford. 
What is the Clan motto? 
Dalmagregan Branch: Tutum Te Robore Reddam - Our Strength in Exchange for Your 
Trust. This is a result of the 1127 event which produced the Clan Crest. This 
is the recognized Clan motto. 
Crawfordjohn Branch: God schaw ye right (traditional) God shaw the right 
(alternative). 
What is the Clan crest? 
 Dalmagregan Branch
South Ayrshire
As a common portion of a Clan's armiger's Arms, the protocol governing the 
crest is not as formal as for Arms. The crest generally identifies members of 
the Clan in a manner similar to the tartan. The generally observed Crawford 
crest is the roe buck set upon a wreath and topped with a Cross of Lorraine. 
The Cross of Lorraine replaced the original patriarchal cross is a modern 
improvement. In the standard Scots tradition, the crest when standing alone is 
encircled with a buckled belt with the Clan motto around the belt. 
The name Crawford in Ireland was brought to the country by Scottish settlers 
in the seventeenth century. The main settlement point was in the Province of 
Ulster where the majority of descendants can still be found. The towns of 
Crawfordsburn in County Down and Crawfords Hill in County Fermanagh are their 
legacy.

  "Bonnie Crawford, evergreen"