CRAWFORD, ALEXANDER [SSNE 1610]

Surname: CRAWFORD, CRAUFURD, CRAFFERT, KRAFFERT, CRAFOORD, CRAFFORT
First name: ALEXANDER
Title/rank: CAPTAIN
Nationality: SCOT
Region: ANACHIE
Social status: OFFICER
Religion: LUTHERAN

Text source

Alexander Crafoord (1577-1617) was the son of William Crafourd of Anachie and Beatrice Hay. He was one of three 'Crafoords' appearing in muster rolls for Scottish regiments of Swedish service in 1610, including James [SSNE 1619] and Lawrence [SSNE 1748]. Alexander probably arrived in service before 1607 and became a captain in his father-in-law's Patrick Rutherford's [SSNE 6633] Scottish regiment in 1612. He had a company of 123 men that year. In this year, Alexander was assigned the job of supervising the defence of Stockholm when the Danish fleet lay outside Vaxholm. He had the charge of executing any burgess or citizen who tried to leave the town or who fell asleep on duty on the city walls. In 1613 he was 'hovidsman' for a troop of Uppland knights. He was the second professional soldier to be employed by King Karl IX as the city 'hopman' (after Olof Ingemarsson). This small troop apparently performed ceremonial functions on the arrival of members of the royal family in the Swedish capital.

He was buried in 1617 in St Maria Kyrka in Sigtuna on July 13. Alexander was married to Anna Rutherford and with her had several children. Two sons were also in Swedish service, Göran [SSNE 4353] and William [SSNE 2097] and 3 daughters, one of whom married Alexander Forratt (possibly [SSNE 2267] or [SSNE 4146]) while another, Beata, married David Seaton. According to Otto Donner he also had a son Jacob, confer [SSNE 2092], who was made a Swedish nobleman in 1621 and became captain of the Dal regiment. In 1626, Jacob obtained Eknö in Westmanland, Björksborg and other land donations.

The Crafoord family society has pressured Sigtuna's St Maria's to reinstate Crawford's 'epitafiumi' in the church from where it was removed in 1971. The epitafium is made up of a group of coats of arms marking his relationship to the families of Hay, Irving, Keith, Forbes and Crufurd of Fedderate.

We would like to thank JOAR CRAFOORD for his additional comments on this article.

Sources: G. Elgenstierna, Svenska Adelns Ättartavlor, vol. 2, p.47; T. Fischer, The Scots in Sweden (Edinburgh, 1907), p.224; H. Marryat, One Year in Sweden, including a visit to the isle of Gotland (London, 1862), p. 487; Otto Donner, A brief sketch of the Scottish families in Finland and Sweden (Helsingfors, 1884), p.23; R. Sandberg, I slottets skugga Stockholm och kronan 1599-1620 (Stockholm, 1991), p.259.

See also J. Crafoord's article on Alexander in 'Arte and Marte'.

Service record

SWEDEN, PATRICK RUTHERFORD, UPPLAND, SIGTUNA: Arrived 1610-01-01, as CAPTAIN; Departed 1617-07-01, as CAPTAIN; Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY