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Show ContentsCrawley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Crawley surname lived in Crawley in the counties of Northumberland, Sussex and Bedfordshire. These place names derive from the Old English word "cra-we," meaning "crow," and "le-ah," meaning a " clearing in the woods." 1

We shall attempt to now discuss their significance to the family. The Northumberland township "was anciently called Crawlawe, from Caer-law, a fortified hill. Crawley Tower, a Roman structure, stands on an eminence near an old and strong intrenchment, which is thought to be the Alauna Amnis of Richard of Cirencester, though some place this station at Alnwick, and others at Glanton. " 2

The East Sussex parish so named, is in the union of East Grinstead, hundred of Buttinghill, rape of Lewes. "Crawley is a post-town, consisting of one wide street, in which stands a remarkably fine old elm-tree of immense girth: the houses on the west side of the village are in the parish of Ifield." 2

Early Origins of the Crawley family

The surname Crawley was first found in various counties throughout ancient Britain. So as to proves that point, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Alan de Craule, Oxfordshire; Hugh de Craule, Bedfordshire and Margaret de Craule, Oxfordshire. 3

Early History of the Crawley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crawley research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1518, 1584, 1588, 1598, 1623, 1626, 1632 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Crawley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crawley Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Crawley are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Crawley include: Crawley, Crawly, Craley, Crally and others.

Early Notables of the Crawley family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Sir Francis Crawley (1584-1649), was an English judge, born at Luton, Bedfordshire, on 6 April 1584. "There is no trace of him at the universities, however. He studied law first at Staple Inn and then...

Crawley Ranking

In the United States, the name Crawley is the 2,684th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Crawley is ranked the 751st most popular surname with an estimated 57 people with that name. 5

United States Crawley migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Crawley or a variant listed above:

Crawley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Crawley, who landed in Virginia in 1659 6
  • Richard Crawley, who landed in Virginia in 1666 6
  • Ann Crawley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 6
  • Anne Crawley, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 6
Crawley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Charles Crawley, who settled in Virginia in 1700
  • David Crawley, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
  • John Crawley who settled in Maryland in 1729
  • Edward Crawley, who settled in Virginia in 1732
  • Matthew Crawley, who settled in Virginia in 1745
Crawley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Crawley, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 6
  • Patrick Crawley, aged 39, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 6
  • Phillip Crawley, aged 25, who landed in Maine in 1812 6
  • Lewis Crawley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
  • Michael Crawley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Crawley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crawley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Edmund Crawley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
  • Randal S Crawley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
  • Eliza Crawley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Crawley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Juliana Crawley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Crawley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Martin Crawley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1836
  • Charles Crawley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1845
  • Mrs. Catherine Crawley, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Emily" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7
  • Mr. John Crawley, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Goliah" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 7
  • Ms. Judith Crawley, aged 24 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bee" departing 17th April 1847 from Cork, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but she died on board 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Crawley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Crawley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Daniel Crawley, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 9
  • Mr. Thomas Crawley, (b. 1801), aged 18, English shoe maker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1879 10
  • Mr. William Crawley, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • Mr. Michael Crawley who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Peter Crawley, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Crawley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Crawley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Martha Crawley, (b. 1840), aged 23, English housekeeper, from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 14
  • Miss Julia Crawley, (b. 1836), aged 27, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 15
  • Henry Crawley, aged 24, a shoemaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
  • Elizabeth Crawley, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
  • Henry John Crawley, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Douglas" in 1873
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crawley (post 1700) +

  • Tyrone Crawley (b. 1958), American professional boxer
  • Sylvia Crawley (b. 1972), American basketball player
  • Ben Crawley (b. 1971), American soccer player who played from 1990 to 2000, member of the U-16 and U20 National Teams
  • W. B. Crawley, American politician, Mayor of Lamesa, Texas, 1955 16
  • Samuel Crawley (1790-1852), English Whig and Liberal politician, Member of Parliament for Honiton (1818-1826) and for Bedford (1832-1837) and (1838-1841), High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1817
  • John Crawley (b. 1971), retired English cricketer who played from 1990 to 2002
  • Ian Crawley (1962-2008), English footballer
  • Charles Crawley (1908-1935), English cricketer
  • John Crawley (b. 1962), English cricketer
  • Christine Crawley (b. 1950), Baroness Crawley, British politician, Member of the European Parliament for the Birmingham East (1984-1999), Chair of the Women's National Commission (1999-2001)
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Mrs. Stella M.  Crawley (1894-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 17
  • Miss Alice Maud  Crawley (1901-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 17
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Lawrence Crawley (b. 1915), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Manchester, Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Wallace Dewight Crawley, American Coxswain from Indiana, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 19
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
  8. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 71)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  18. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  19. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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