Clan Crawford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clan Crawford |
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Crest: A stag's head erased Gules, between the attires a cross crosslet fitchée Sable
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| Motto | Tutum te robore reddam (With my strength I'll give you safety) | ||
| Profile | |||
| Region | Lowlands | ||
| District | Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire | ||
| Plant badge | Boxwood | ||
| Animal | stag | ||
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| Clan Crawford has no chief, and is an armigerous clan | |||
| 21st Laird of Auchinames | |||
| Historic seat | Auchinames Castle, Renfrewshire. | ||
| Last Chief | Adam Crawfurd of Auchinames | ||
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Clan Crawford is a Scottish clan from the Scottish Lowlands. The clan's roots come from Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon times. Some historians in the 1700s thought the clan had Norman origins.
The Clan Crawford is recognized as a clan by the Court of the Lord Lyon. However, it is now an armigerous clan. This means it no longer has a chief. The last chief was Hugh Ronald George Craufurd. He sold his lands and moved to Canada in 1904. He passed away in 1942, with no male children to take over.
Contents
History of Clan Crawford
How the Clan Started
The name Crawford comes from a place called Crawford in Lanarkshire. This name was adopted around 1125. This was when Norman knights came to Scotland with King David I. The king returned to Scotland to become ruler. He also brought the Norman feudal system.
There's a story that Sir Gregan Crawford helped King David I. He supposedly saved the king from a stag. This event led to the building of Holyrood Abbey.
Early Leaders and William Wallace
Sir Reginald Crawford became the sheriff of Ayr in 1296. His sister married a man from Wallace of Elderslie. She was the mother of the Scottish hero William Wallace.
The Crawfords supported their cousin William Wallace. This was during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The family of the sheriff of Ayr created the main branches of the clan. These were the Crawfords of Auchinames and the Crawfords of Craufurdland. The main line of chiefs was from Auchinames in Renfrewshire. They received their lands from Robert the Bruce in 1320.
Important Events and Battles
Sir William Crawford was made a knight by James I of Scotland. He fought with Scottish forces for Charles VII of France. In 1423, he was hurt during a battle in Burgundy.
John of the Craufurdland branch of the clan died in the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The Lairds of Auchinames also died in this battle. A generation later, the Laird of Auchinames was killed. This happened at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547.
Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill also fought at Pinkie. He was captured but later set free. In 1569, he joined the household of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Darnley was married to Mary, Queen of Scots. Thomas Crawford accused others of being involved in Darnley's murder. However, he did not support the queen. In 1570, he captured Dumbarton Castle from her forces with only 150 men.
In the 1600s, Craufurdland Castle was made much larger. This was done by the sixteenth Laird.
The 1700s and Later
John Walkinshaw Crawford, the twentieth Laird, was a brave soldier. He joined the army when he was young. He became a Lieutenant-Colonel. He fought in the Battle of Dettingen in 1743 against the French. Two years later, he also showed great bravery at the Battle of Fontenoy.
Even though he served the king faithfully, he was also a good friend. He was friends with the Jacobite Earl of Kilmarnock (chief of Clan Boyd). Because of this friendship, his name was put at the bottom of the army list. He was later restored in 1761. He was also made the king's falconer. He passed away in 1793.
Sir Alexander Craufurd of Kilbirnie became a baronet in 1781. His son, Robert Craufurd, led the Light Division in the Peninsular War. He died in 1812 while leading his troops. They were attacking the fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo. A monument was built for him in St Paul's Cathedral, London.
Hugh Crawford, the twenty-first Laird of Auchinames, moved to Canada. He sold the old clan lands in the early 1900s.
Clan Castles
Many castles have been owned by the Clan Crawford. Some of these include:
- Auchinames Castle, Renfrewshire.
- Craufurdland Castle, Ayrshire.
- Almond Castle, Linlithgow.
- Loudoun Castle, Ayrshire. (This later went to the Clan Campbell).
- Kilbirnie Place, Ayshire. This family line ended in the 1700s. It had earlier passed to the Craufurds of Jordanhill.
Clan Symbols
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The modern crest badge for a Clan Crawford member has a special design. It shows a stag's head in red. Between its antlers is a black cross.
Around the crest is a strap and buckle. It has the motto written on it: TUTUM TE ROBORE REDDAM. This Latin phrase means "I will give you safety through strength".
The Crawford tartan is quite new. There was no Crawford tartan around 1739. The first record of a Crawford tartan was in 1842. It appeared in a book called the Vestiarium Scoticum. This is the Crawford tartan used today. The Vestiarium was written by the Sobieski Stuarts. Their book claimed to be a copy of an old book about clan tartans. Today, many clan tartans come from the Vestiarium.
An Unusual Death
John Craufurd of Craufurdland died in 1612. He was only 21 years old. He passed away from an injury he got while playing football. His wife later married Sir David Barclay of Ladyland.
See also
- Hugh Crawford (sheriff)
- Crawford Castle
- Giffordland, Ayrshire
