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![Show Contents]() Crawcester History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Crawcester is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the village of Craster, a fishing village located on the coast of the North Sea, northeast of Alnwick. Early Origins of the Crawcester familyThe surname Crawcester was first found in Northumberland where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor at ancient Craucestre a barony outside Alnwick in that shire. The Domesday Book did not include the county of Northumberland. King William the Conqueror believed he had laid Northumberland waste in 1069. We are therefore unable to distinguish the Norman Baron who held Craucestre, with certainty but we do know that Alnwick was held by Baron John of Alnwick and may be the ancestor of the Craster surname. John had married Beatrice, daughter of Ivo de Visci and acquired Alnwick. "The manor of Craster, olim Crawcestre, near Alnwick, was held by the family temp. Henry I., and still belongs to Craster of Craster Tower." 1 The family have held the tower since 1278, but over the years many changes have taken place. Today, it is regarded as a 18th-century Georgian mansion incorporating a 14th-century pele tower. Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Albert de Craucestre and Ivo de Crawecestre were both recorded here in the 1200's. 2 Early History of the Crawcester familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crawcester research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1242, 1299, 1681, 1682, 1779, 1803, 1879 and 1944 are included under the topic Early Crawcester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Crawcester Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Crawcester are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Crawcester include: Craster, Crawcester, Craucestre, Craucester, Crawster and many more. Early Notables of the Crawcester familyAnother 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crawcester Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Crawcester familyMany English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Crawcester or a variant listed above: William Craster settled in Virginia in 1716.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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