Show ContentsCawould History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Cawould family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Cawould comes from when the family lived in Yorkshire, where the name was taken from the town of Cawood in the county's West Riding. The place-name was first recorded as Kawuda in 963 AD and was originally derived from the Old English words ca, meaning jackdaw, and wudu meaning woods, and described a wood where by jackdaws were common.

Early Origins of the Cawould family

The surname Cawould was first found in North Yorkshire, where Cawood is a large village and civil parish in the Selby district. The village dates back to 963 when it was listed as Kawuda. 1 and was given by King Athelstan to the see of York, about 935, in the time of Archbishop Wulstan. Today it is better known as the place where the Cawood sword was found. It is regarded as "one of the finest Viking swords ever discovered" and is nearly 1,000 years old and can be seen at the Yorkshire Museum. This locale is also the home of Cawood Castle, a palace for the Archbishops of York which dates back to 1181. Today Cawood Castle is owned by the Landmark Trust.

Early History of the Cawould family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cawould research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1514 and 1572 are included under the topic Early Cawould History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cawould Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cawould has appeared include Cawood, Kawood, Cawoode, Cawod and others.

Early Notables of the Cawould family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cawould Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cawould family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cawould arrived in North America very early: Richard Cawood who arrived in Barbados in 1635; and later moved to St. Christopher; Ann Cawood who settled in Maryland in 1676.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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