Cralley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Cralley

The Cralley name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having 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 Cralley family

Early History of the Cralley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cralley 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 Cralley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cralley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cralley has undergone many spelling variations, including Crawley, Crawly, Craley, Crally and others.

Early Notables of the Cralley family

Robert Crole, Croleus, Crowley (1518?-1588), English author, printer, and divine, born in Gloucestershire. 4 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 at Gray's Inn, to which he was admitted 26 May 1598. He was called to the...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cralley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cralley family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cralley were among those contributors: John Crally, who arrived in Maryland in 1664; Ann Crawley, who came to Pennsylvania in 1682; Charles Crawley, who settled in Virginia in 1700; John Crawley who settled in Maryland in 1729.