History
The clan name Schaw is considered to be either a topographic name or a habitational name. The topographic name is for person who lived near a copse or thicket. It is derived from the Middle English s(c)hage, s(c)hawe from the Old English sceaga. The habitational name could be derived from several places named with these words. The earliest record of the lowland name is of John de Schau, who witnessed a deed in relation to the Abbey of Paisley in 1284. Another early recorded Schaw is William Schaw who witnessed a charter in 1291 to the Monastery of Paisley. In 1296, Symon de Schawe, Fergus de Shawe and William de Schawe of Lanark, all rendered homage to Edward I, king of England.
Sometime before 1309, the clan acquired the lands of Hayley, Wardlaw and Drumchaber in Ayr from James, Great Steward of Scotland. In 1407, an agreement between John Schaw, lord of Hayley and Alan Cathcart was confirmed by charter under the great seal. John Schaw of Hayley was one of the men that made up the Embassy that negotiated the terms of marriage between James III and Margaret, daughter of the Christian I, king of Denmark. In 1477, a younger son of John Schaw of Hayley received the lands of Sornbeg and Polkemmet. The principal family within the clan was said to have been the Schaws of Sauchie (their residence, Sauchie Tower still stands in Clackmannanshire). A member of this family was John Schaw of Sauchie, who was Comptroller of the Royal Household to James III. Other branches or families within the clan were located in Kirkcudbrightshire and Ayrshire, and also around the towns of Greenock and Stirling.
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