Crashaw History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Crashaw is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the village of Cranshaw (Cronkshaw) in Lancashire. The name is derived from the Old English "cran(uc)" which means "crane" + "sceaga" which means "grove" or "thicket." 1 Another source claims the name literally means "the twisting or winding shaw (wood.)" 2

Early Origins of the Crashaw family

The surname Crashaw was first found in Lancashire at Cranshaw (Cronkshaw) in the parish of Rochdale or Bury. One of the first records of the name was William de Crounkeshawe who was listed there in 1412. 3

Cranshaws Castle or Cranshaws Tower is a 15th-century pele near the village of Cranshaws in Berwickshire, Scotland. The castle is thought to be the inspiration for "Ravenswood Castle", home of Edgar, the hero of Sir Walter Scott's tragedy the Bride of Lammermoor.

Early History of the Crashaw family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crashaw research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1572, 1590, 1610, 1612, 1626, 1649 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Crashaw History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crashaw Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Crashaw were recorded, including Crawshaw, Crawshay, Crawshawe, Cranshaw, Crankshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Crashaw family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Crashaw (1572-1626), English Puritan divine and poet, son of Richard Crashaw of Handsworth, near Sheffield, Yorkshire
Richard Crashaw (1612-1649), was a metaphysical poet, son of a Puritan preacher, the poet became a convert to Catholicism and moved to the continent to Paris during the English Civil War, best known f...

Crashaw migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Crashaw family emigrate to North America:

Crashaw Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rawley Crashaw, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Rawleigh Crashaw, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 4
Joseph Crashaw, who landed in Virginia in 1638 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Crashaw (post 1700) +

Richard Crashaw (1613-1649), English religious poet

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)