| ![Show Contents]() Crutch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Crutch is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived near a crossroads. The name is derived from the Old English word crouch, and/or cruc. Early Origins of the Crutch familyThe surname Crutch was first found in Somerset where John atte Crouche was the first listing of the family 1, Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John atte Cruche (no county); Millesenta Cruche, Norfolk; and Robert Cruche, Norfolk. 2 "This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the cross,' i.e. the roadside or market-cross, once so familiar a sight at the intersection of the great country thoroughfares, or in the chartered market-steads. Crouch still lingers in our 'crutched' or 'crouched friars.' Langland describes a pilgrim as having 'many a crouch' embroidered 'on his cloke.' Blomefield says of an old Norwich church, 'St. Crowche's was dedicated in honour of the Invention of the Holy Cross, but is now totally demolished; the churchyard is still surrounded with common lanes or passages'." 3 The word crouch "was applied in general to such crosses as stood at the intersection of two roads and although they have long disappeared, they have left the name of 'cross' and 'crouch' upon many localities, especially in the South of England. In Sussex, where the name is one of the oldest indigenous designations (especially in the Cinque Ports) it is found in the forms of Crouch and De Cruce, 20 Edw. I." 4 In Scotland, the name was derived "from a residence at or near a roadside cross or crucifix, ME. crouche. The surname is more English than Scottish. Johannes Crooch witnessed a confirmation charter by Alexander Cumyn, earl of Buchan, to the canons of St. Andrews. John Cruche was burgess of the Canongate, Edinburgh, 1567." 5 Early History of the Crutch familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crutch research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1607, 1628, 1635, 1660, 1671, 1679, 1681, 1710, 1775, 1780 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Crutch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Crutch Spelling VariationsThe first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Crutch has been spelled many different ways, including Crouch, Crooch, Croucher, Croutch, Crowch, Crowcher, Crouche and many more. Early Notables of the Crutch familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Crouch (1607-1679), an English academic and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.Humphrey Crouch or Crowch (fl. 1635-1671), was an English ballad-writer and pamphleteer, probably belonged to the family of publishers named Crouch, who traded largely in popular literature in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. "Mr. Halliwell-Phillipps has suggested that Humphrey was brother of John Crouch, the Royalist verse-writer. It is equally likely that he stood in the same relation to Edward Crouch or Crowch, John Crouch's publisher, and that he was father or uncle of Nathaniel...
Another 310 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crutch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Crutch 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: Crutch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Charles Crutch, aged 25, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
- Rhoda Crutch, aged 29, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
- Annie Crutch, aged 1, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ballochmyle" in 1874
| Contemporary Notables of the name Crutch (post 1700) | + |
- William Crutch, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Litchfield, 1918 6
- Aaron Crutch, American politician, Warden (Borough President) of Litchfield, Connecticut, 1904-11 6
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
- Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Crutch migration to New Zealand 
England
Scotland
