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![Show Contents]() Crawster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancestors of the bearers of the Crawster family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the village of Craster, a fishing village located on the coast of the North Sea, northeast of Alnwick. Early Origins of the Crawster familyThe surname Crawster 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 Crawster familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crawster 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 Crawster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Crawster Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Crawster include Craster, Crawcester, Craucestre, Craucester, Crawster and many more. Early Notables of the Crawster familyAnother 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crawster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Crawster familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Crawster 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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