Crosy Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Crosy is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Crosy family once lived as dwellers at the crosslea. The surname Crosy originally derived from the Old English word cruche which meant cross or crucifix. 1

Other sources disagree. One source claims the name is from "Crickley; a location name in Gloucestershire." 2 And another claims the name is "from a geographical locality 'of Critchlow,' or 'Chritchlow,' some small spot in Lancashire, probably in the neighbourhood of Chorley. I have failed to discover it." 3

We can find no record of Chritchlow in Lancashire today.

Early Origins of the Crosy family

The surname Crosy was first found in Northumberland where Vkke de Crikelawa was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. Later, John de Cruchelowe was found in Lancashire in 1342. 4

Early Cheshire records proved to be resourceful. The Wills at Chester include: Richard Crichlow, of Leyland, 1587; John Crichlowe, of Croxton, 1593; and Thomas Chrichlowe, of Leyland, 1606. The use of the spellings Critchley and Chrichlow seemed to be interchangeable as the Preston Guild Rolls record the same person with different spellings at different times: Edmund Crichlow, 1662; and Edmund Critchley, 1682. 3

The Lancashire Wills at Richmond list Anne Chrichlaw, of Ashtonliank, 1673; and William Critchley, of Lea, 1673.

In Scotland, the spelling used was typically Critchley, and was "recorded in Inverness, doubtless from Critchlow or Chritchlaw, some small spot in Lancashire." 5

Early History of the Crosy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crosy research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1200 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Crosy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crosy Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Crosy family name include Critchley, Critchlie, Critchlow, Crichley, Crichlie, Crichly, Critchly, Crichlow, Crichelow, Cricheley, Crichelie, Crichely, Cretchley, Cretchlie, Cretchleigh, Critchleigh, Crichleigh, Cretchlow, Critchloe and many more.

Early Notables of the Crosy family

More information is included under the topic Early Crosy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Crosy family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Crosy surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Critchlow, who settled in Barbados in 1680; with his wife, two children, and servants; Henry and Thomas Critchley, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866 and 1875 respectively. In Newfoundland, James Critchley settled in Greenspond in 1841..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)