Crispe is one of the many names that the
Normans brought with them when they conquered
England in 1066. The name Crispe came from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin
nickname which means
curly-haired. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Much of the popularity of the name in the early Middle Ages is a result of the popularity of St. Crispin, who was martyred at Soissons in 285 AD.
Early Origins of the Crispe family
The surname Crispe was first found in
Oxfordshire where they had been granted the lands of Cowley by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The source Old English Bynames lists the name in the Latin form: Benedictus Crispus c.1030 as the first record of the family. Almost two
hundred years later, Walter Crips was listed in the source Early London Personal Names as living there c. 1200.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) Later the family became well established in
Norfolk, where they are to this day well known.
In Norfolk, the family goes back at least as far as the 14th century. "In 1388, Richard Crispe was patron of the living of Cockthorp, to which he presented one of the family; another Richard Crispe was buried in Erenze church in 1517." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Robert le Crespe in Oxfordshire; Thomas le Crespe in Somerset; and Gilbert le Crispe in Oxfordshire. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Crispe family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crispe research.
Another 483 words (34 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1533, 1603, 1788, 1749, 1625, 1600, 1643, 1599, 1666 and 1630 are included under the topic Early Crispe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Crispe Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Crispe are characterized by many
spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Crispe include Crisp, Cripps, Crispin, Crispe, Crisppin, Crispp and many more.
Early Notables of the Crispe family (pre 1700)
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crispe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Crispe family to Ireland
Some of the Crispe family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Crispe family to the New World and Oceana
Faced with the chaos present in
England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as
Australia and
Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Crispe, or a variant listed above:
Crispe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Thomas Crispe, who landed in Virginia in 1621 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Zacharia Crispe, who landed in Virginia in 1623 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Zacharia Crispe, who settled in Virginia in 1623
- Benjamin Crispe, who landed in New England in 1636 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - John Crispe, who landed in Virginia in 1639 [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Crispe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Clement Crispe, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm - Indiana Maxwell Crispe, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm - Georgina Crispe, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm - Indiana Crispe, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm - Thomas Bagnold Crispe, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 [5]CITATION[CLOSE]
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm
Crispe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Joseph Crispe, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
- Charlotte E. Crispe, aged 21, a cook, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879
- Margaret Crispe, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879