Crosloe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Crosloe is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived at a region known as the cross or for the dweller at the cross. 1

Early Origins of the Crosloe family

The surname Crosloe was first found in Lancashire where "the name of an ancient gentle family of Todmorden during the 14th and loth centuries and of Scaitcliffe since the reign of Elizabeth." 2 Another source confirms Scaitcliffe as the point of origin, but adds "anciently Del Croslegh, are of unknown antiquity." 3

We must look to nearby Yorkshire to find the first records of the family though. It is there that the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes de Crosselay; and Willelmus de Crosselay as holding lands there at that time.

"The same record (p. 189) registers the following inhabitants of Stansfield (Halifax), where the surname is now so strong—Isabella Groslee, Elena Crossle, Thomas Grosseleys, Johannes Grosles. The change of initial from 'C' to 'G' and vice versa is common; compare Crandidge for Grandage, also a Yorkshire instance." 4

Early History of the Crosloe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crosloe research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1365, 1670 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Crosloe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crosloe Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Crosloe family name include Crossley, Crossleigh, Crosslie, Crossly, Croseleigh, Croseley, Crosslay, Crosslow, Crosselie, Crosseley and many more.

Early Notables of the Crosloe family

Distinguished members of the family include David Crosly (1670-1744), English Baptist minister, born in the neighbourhood of Todmorden, Lancashire. He was brought up by a pious aunt, and in his youth worked as...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crosloe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Crosloe family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Crosloe surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Ann, Martha, Mary, Susannah, Crossley who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1765; Enoch, Frank, George, Henry, John, Robert, Stansfield, Thomas, Walter, and William Crossley, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1847 and 1872.

The Crosloe 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: Credo et amo
Motto Translation: I believe and love.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)