The present generation of the Caltoit family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having 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 Caltoit family
The surname Caltoit 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4) 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 Caltoit family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caltoit research.
Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1514 and 1572 are included under the topic Early Caltoit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Caltoit Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few
hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently,
spelling variations in names are frequently found in early
Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Caltoit include Cawood, Kawood, Cawoode, Cawod and others.
Early Notables of the Caltoit family (pre 1700)
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caltoit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Caltoit family to the New World and Oceana
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in
England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Caltoit were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Richard Cawood who arrived in Barbados in 1635; and later moved to St. Christopher; Ann Cawood who settled in Maryland in 1676.