Cragg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the Cragg surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived at the crag or crags in the county of Lancashire.
Early Origins of the Cragg family
The surname Cragg was first found in West Yorkshire at Cragg Vale, a village that dates back to Roman times. The Cragg Vale Coiners were a band of counterfeiters from the area who produced fake gold coins in the late 18th century. The gang was hunted down and one of the was murdered.
Early History of the Cragg family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cragg research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1332, 1657, 1686, 1713 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Cragg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cragg Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Cragg include Cragg, Crag, Cragge and others.
Early Notables of the Cragg family
Notables of the family at this time include
- Robert Cragg of Lancashire; James Craggs the Elder (1657-1721), an English politician, Postmaster-General, the eldest son of Anthony Craggs of Holbeck, in the parish of Wolsingham, Durham
- Hi son, James Craggs the Younger (1686-1721), was an English politician, Secretary of State and Member of Parliament for Tregony (1713-1721.) 1
Migration of the Cragg family to Ireland
Some of the Cragg family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cragg migration to the United States +
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Cragg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Cragg, who settled in Virginia in 1637
- Henry Cragg, who landed in Maryland in 1667 2
- Nehemiah Cragg, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 2
- John Cragg left Barbados for New England on January 31st 1679
- Robert Cragg, who landed in America in 1686
Cragg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Thomas Cragg, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 2
Cragg migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Cragg Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- George Cragg, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Cragg migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Cragg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. David Robinson Cragg, English convict who was convicted in East Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
- Mary Cragg, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4
Cragg 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:
Cragg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- J. C. Cragg, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1878
Contemporary Notables of the name Cragg (post 1700) +
- Jeffrey Cragg (b. 1961), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 2004 5
- Jeff Cragg (b. 1961), American businessman and politician, candidate for the Governor of Delaware
- Ernest Thorpe Cragg (1922-2006), American Major General in the United States Air Force
- Edward "Porky" Cragg (1919-1943), American fighter pilot, a triple ace with 15 aerial victories
- Dan Cragg (b. 1939), American soldier, essayist, and science-fiction author
- Stephen Cragg, American television producer and director
- Edward "Porky" Cragg, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 15 aerial victories
- Richard Hartley Cragg, English professional association footballer who played from 1919 to 1922
- James Stanley Cragg (1886-1979), English cricketer who played from 1908 to 1923
- John Cragg (1767-1854), English ironmaster who ran a foundry in Liverpool, Merseyside, known for his work on St George's Church, Everton, St Michael's Church, Aigburth and St Philip's Church
- ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Cragg family +
HMS Royal Oak
- Walter Cragg (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 7
Citations +
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
- Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html