Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• lez Furses de Crooke 1632 Ilch

• Crooke furses 1640 Ilch

• Cruk' 1269 Ilch

• (dec' de) Crouke 1353 Ilch 1505 Ilch

• (iij acr' apud) la Crouke 1414 Ilch

• Croke 1495,1519 Ilch

• Crowke 1499 Ilch 1520 Ilch

• Crooke 1631,1648 Ilch

Etymology

Crook Furze (SY 563857), lez Furses de Crooke 1632Ilch , Crooke furses 1640Ilch , named from Cruk '1269Ilch , (dec ' de ) Crouke 1353Ilch et freq to 1505Ilch , (iij acr ' apud ) la Crouke 1414Ilch , Croke 1495, 1519Ilch , Crowke 1499Ilch , 1520Ilch , Crooke 1631, 1648Ilch , cf. campo de Crouke 1383Ilch , pastur ' vocat ' Crouk (e )hull '1383, 1387, 1389, 1404Ilch . This is from PrWelsh  *crǖg 'mound, hill, barrow' in a different form to that found in East Creech 189, with fyrs and hyll , cf. Crook(e) PNDe 371, 638. Crook Furze is on a 500′ spur below Wears Hill which rises to 700′ at the Iron Age hillfort of Abbotsbury Castle infra ; Cruk may have been the original name of Wears Hill or of the hillfort itself.