Caltera

This is one of a group of surnames which can be classed as 'European' in that in one spelling or another it has origins in every country. Recorded in the spellings of Cauldron, Caulderon, Cowdron (English), Chaudron and Codron (French), Caldero, Calderon, Caldera (Spanish) Calderone, Calterone, and Caldaro (Spanish), and in many other diminutive or patronymic forms such as Caldairou, the name is job descriptive. It describes a maker or seller of cooking vessels, particularly the large pots which traditionally were hung over a fire for the making of stews and soups. It derives originally from the Latin 'caldarium', a word which pre dates the Christian era, dating back to the pre Roman period, back to the very beginning of civilisation. The surname is much later with recording examples including Juan Boya Caldero at San Esteban, Vizcaya, Spain, on August 30th 1573, Antonio Calderone of Palermo, Italy, on December 12th 1682, and Manuel Calderon of Los Angelos, California, on June 1st 1850. The coat of arms has the blazon of a red field, charged with eight saltires. On an escutcheon of silver, five black cauldrons. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Stephen Cauldron, which was dated 1289, in the Friary Rolls of the county of Yorkshire, England, during the reign of King Edward 1st, 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.