Cawdron

This interesting surname is of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The derivation of the name is from the Old French "cauderon", a cauldron, a large pot used for boiling, especially one with handles, from the Latin "caldarium", hot bath, from "calidus", warm. The surname would have been a metonymic occupational name for a maker of cauldron's, or large cooking vessels. Job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. Roger le calaroner is noted in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York (1299). In the modern idiom the surname can be found as Calderon, Cauldron, Caldron and Cawdron. Recordings of the surname from London Church Registers include: the marriage of Elizabeth Caudron and Hennery Colson on February 21st 1576, at St. Margaret Moses; the marriage of Ann Cawdron and Nathaniell Cooper at St. Giles' Cripplegate, on May 26th 1657; and the christening of George, son of George and Elizabeth Cawdron on September 4th 1690, at St. Stephan's, Coleman Street. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a silver shield with a black chevron between three black martlets, on a black chief three gold crosses crosslet, the Crest being a dexter hand holding a palm branch slipped proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Stephen Caldron, which was dated 1289, in the "Register of the Freemen of the City of York", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.