Cram

This interesting surname, with variant spellings Cram, Crambie, Crammy and Crame, is of Scottish locational origin from "Crambeth", the old spelling of Crombie, a village and ancient parish in Fife, now comprehended in the parish of Torryburn. The names "Cram" and "Cramb" are found mainly in Perthshire and its vicinity and are shortened forms of Crambie. This earlier form of the surname first appears in the late 12th Century, (see below). The Registrum de Dunfermelyn recorded one Gilbert de (of) Crambeth in 1230, who was one of Assize of Marches in Fife. Sir Henry de Crambathe, dean of Dunkeld, rendered homage in 1296. His seal bears the Virgin and Child. One Willelmus de Crambreth witnessed confirmation of a charter by Malise, earl of Strathern in 1360. The Church Registers of Pertshire, record the following entries: Christiane, daughter of James and Janet Cramb was christened on April 9th 1648, at Blairgourrie, while on June 19th 1681, Archbald Cramb married Elizabeth McGibbon at Muthill, Perth. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Cram (beth), who witnessed a charter by Gilbert, which was dated Earl of Strathern, in 1198, recorded in Liber Insule Missarum, during the reign of King William "The Lion" of Scotland, 1165 - 1214. 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.