Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Croilesfelda 1154 Monast 1204 ChR 13th LegerBk

• Cruylfeld 1383 ib

• Creulefeld 1247 Pat

• Croylefeud 1262 Ass

• Croilefeld 13th LegerBk

• Crulefeld 1262 Ass 1284 Ch 1383 Pat

• Crulefyld 1535 VE

• Crullefeld 1268 Ch 1272 Ass

• Crefelde 1524 SR

• Cryefeld 1536 Monast

• Cryfeld al. Cruelfeld 1542 MinAcct

• Crewelfeilde al. Creyfeilde 1590 ADv

• Crewelfeld 1540 MinAcct

• Cruelfeld Graunge 1545 LP

• Cruefeild al. Creyfeild 1650 Recov

• Crowellfeild al. Cryfeild 1660 FF

Etymology

This is a difficult name but the probabilities are that the first element is the word *creowel , found in Croughton (PN Nth 51) and perhaps in Crowley's infra 243, denoting a fork. For Croughton we have forms with initial Creuel -, Crouel -, Cruel -.The land is much broken here and we may have reference to the forking valleys at this spot, though the topography is not so obvious as in the case of Croughton. Hence 'open land by the fork,' v. feld .