Crookshank History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Crookshank. It is a name for someone who lived at or near the Cruick River in Kincardinshire. The word shank means a point of a hill. Some people mistakenly think the name is a nickname for someone who had crooked shanks or was bowlegged but this was not the case. 1
Early Origins of the Crookshank family
The surname Crookshank was first found in Kincardineshire (Gaelic: A' Mhaoirne), a former county on the northeast coast of the Grampian region of Scotland, and part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area since 1996, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
"The two counties with which the name is most intimately connected are Kincardine and Aberdeen, and in the former we have the river Cruick rising in the parish of Fearn and joining the North Esk near the Kirk of Stracathro." 1
Some of the first records of the family include John Crokeshanks, burgess of Haddington, who rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296 and Christin Crukschank who is mentioned in foundation charter of the chapel of Urchany in 1334. Later, Cristinus Cru sank was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1408, and John Cru sank was one of the burgesses of Aberdeen selected to accompany the provost to the field of Harlaw in 1411. 1
Early History of the Crookshank family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crookshank research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1408, 1411, 1414, 1434, 1452, 1453, 1535, 1550, 1644 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Crookshank History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Crookshank Spelling Variations
During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Crookshank include Cruickshank, Cruikshank, Crookshank, Crookshanks and many more.
Early Notables of the Crookshank family
Notable amongst the Clan at this time was
- John Crookshanks of Haddington
Crookshank migration to the United States +
Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Crookshank:
Crookshank Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Elizabeth Crookshank, who landed in Maryland in 1664 2
Crookshank Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Crookshank, who settled in New York State in 1719
- Robert Crookshank, who settled in Georgia in 1735
- James Crookshank, who settled in New York State in 1788
- David Crookshank, who settled in Wilmington Del. in 1789
- John Crookshank, who arrived in New York in 1798 2
Crookshank Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Alexander Crookshank, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 2
Crookshank Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Frank Crookshank, aged 23, who landed in America from Halifax, in 1907
- Margaret Crookshank, aged 50, who settled in America from Birkenhead, England, in 1913
- Emma W. Crookshank, aged 50, who settled in America from London, England, in 1919
- William Crookshank, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1923
- Harry F. C. Crookshank, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1924
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Crookshank migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Crookshank Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Joseph Crookshank U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783; member of the Penobscot Association 3
Crookshank Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Robert Crookshank, aged 50, a seaman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Charlotte Lungan" from Liverpool, England
Crookshank migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
4Crookshank Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Alexander Crookshank, who settled in Barbados in 1678
Contemporary Notables of the name Crookshank (post 1700) +
- Francis Graham Crookshank (1873-1933), British epidemiologist, medical and psychological writer
- Lieutenant Colonel Chichester de Windt Crookshank (1868-1958), Unionist Member of Parliament
- Edgar March Crookshank (1858-1928), English physician and microbiologist
- Harry Frederick Comfort Crookshank CH, PC (1893-1961), 1st Viscount Crookshank, British Conservative politician, Minister of Health (1951 to 1952), Leader of the House of Commons
The Crookshank 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: Vis fortibus armas
Motto Translation: Strength is arms to the brave.
Citations +
- 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)
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies