Show ContentsCrawly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • England
Crawly Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Crawly

What does the name Crawly mean?

The ancient history of the Crawly name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided 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 Crawly family

The surname Crawly was first found in various counties throughout ancient Britain. So as to proves that point, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Alan de Craule, Oxfordshire; Hugh de Craule, Bedfordshire and Margaret de Craule, Oxfordshire. 3

Early History of the Crawly family

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

Crawly Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Crawly include Crawley, Crawly, Craley, Crally and others.

Early Notables of the Crawly 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 Crawly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crawly migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Crawly or a variant listed above:

Crawly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Michael Crawly, who landed in Virginia in 1641 5
Crawly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • David Crawly, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 5
Crawly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Crawly, aged 35, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 5

Crawly migration to Australia +

Crawly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Ellen Crawly, aged 27, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Europa" 6
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)
  6. South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Europa 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml

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