Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• le Crikeldwode (sic) 1294 GDR

• Crikeledewod 1321 BlBk

• Crikeledewode 1394 Cor

• Crykyll Wood 1509 AllSouls

• Crekyll Woddes 1525 WAM

• Crekle Woods 1553 ib

• Cricklewood 1680 S

• Krickle Wood 1754 R

Etymology

Cricklewood is le Crikeldwode (sic)1294GDR , Crikeledewod 1321 BlBk, Crikeledewode 1394Cor , Crykyll Wood 1509All Souls , Crekyll Woddes 1525WAM , Crekle Woods 1553 ib., Cricklewood 1680 S, Krickle Wood 1754 R. The early forms given here make it difficult to take the first part of this name to be a compound of British cruc , 'hill' and OE  hyll, as suggested by Ekwall (DEPN s. n .), and in addition to the formal difficulty, though there is a hill here it is not of the abrupt distinctive type which we find in such places as Crich (Db).More probably the first element is a participial adjective derived from the dial. crickle (v. EDD), 'to bend, give way,' the adjective being descriptive of the outline of the wood. The place is partly in Willesden.