Crewe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the Crewe surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived as dwellers at a cattle-pen or cattle-fold. 1
Early Origins of the Crewe family
The surname Crewe was first found in Cheshire where the "ancestors of Lord Crewe were Lords of Crewe, co. Chester, 13 Edward I." (during the thirteenth year of King Edward I's reign.) 2
Today, Crewe is a township, in the parish of Barthomley, union and hundred of Nantwich in Cheshire. "It has been the inheritance of the Crewe family from a very early period. The Hall, the seat of Lord Crewe, exhibits a good specimen of the more enriched style of architecture which prevailed in the early part of the 17th century: it was begun in 1615, and completed in 1636, and the ceilings and wainscots of many of the rooms, and the principal staircase, retain their original decorations. The gallery, a hundred feet in length, is fitted up as a library, and contains a number of family portraits, and fine pictures: the mansion has also a private chapel, where divine service is performed every Sunday morning, and where is a large painting of the Last Supper, with two beautiful specimens of ancient stained glass. " 3
Looking back further researchers found the name actually dates back to Norman times as "Crewe was in the barony of Malbanc, and was possessed c. 1150 by Henry de Criwa, who attested a charter of Hugh Malbanc. Sire Thomas de Crue was living after 1241. Hence the Lords Crewe of Stene, maternally represented by the Lords Crewe." 4
Early History of the Crewe family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crewe research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1558, 1565, 1598, 1623, 1624, 1625, 1633, 1634, 1646, 1656, 1671, 1674, 1679, 1697 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Crewe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Crewe 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 Crewe include Crewe, Crew, Croux, Crewes, Creuse and others.
Early Notables of the Crewe family
Notables of this surname at this time include:
- Sir Randulphe or Randolph Crew or Crewe (1558-1646), English judge, second son of John Crew of Nantwich, who is said to have been a tanner
- Sir Thomas Crewe (or Crew) (1565-1634), of Stene in Northamptonshire, an English Member of Parliament and lawyer, Speaker of the House of Commons from 1623 to 1625
Crewe 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:
Crewe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Rebecca Crewe, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 5
- Roger Crewe, who landed in Virginia in 1638 5
- John Crewe was farming in Virginia in 1642
Crewe migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Crewe Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- S Crewe, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Crewe migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Crewe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Samuel Crewe, (b. 1816), aged 20, English drapers boy who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years for robbery, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Mr. Randle Crewe, English gunsmith who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1887 7
- Sarah Crewe, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 8
Crewe 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:
Crewe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. Patrick Crewe, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
- Mrs. Susan Crewe née Fitzpatrick, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
- Robert Crewe, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876
Contemporary Notables of the name Crewe (post 1700) +
- Stanley Robert "Bob" Crewe (b. 1931), American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, record producer and fine artist, best known for producing, and co-writing a string of Top 10 singles for The Four Seasons
- Bertie Crewe (1860-1937), English theatre architect
- Sir Ivor Martin Crewe (b. 1945), Master of University College, Oxford
- Hungerford Crewe FSA, FRS (1812-1894), 3rd Baron Crewe, an English landowner and peer
- John Crewe (1772-1835), 2nd Baron Crewe, an English soldier and peer
- Sir George Crewe (1795-1844), 8th Baronet, an English Tory politician who represented the constituency of South Derbyshire
- Henry Harpur Crewe (1828-1883), English clergyman and naturalist
- Mr. Edward Crewe, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1547 to 1548
- Mr. Richard Crewe, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1540 to 1541
- Lady Frances Anne Crewe (1748-1818), née Greville, daughter of Fulke Greville, envoy extraordinary to the elector of Bavaria
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Crewe family +
- Mr. Albert J. Crewe (1897-1914), Newfoundlander from Elliston, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he died during this time
- Mr. Ruben Crewe (1867-1914), Newfoundlander from Elliston, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he died during this time
The Crewe Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Sequor nec inferior
Motto Translation: I follow, but am not inferior.
Citations +
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- 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 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- South Australian Register Wednesday 30th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Banks 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbanks1855.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html