Critchley Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Critchley Family History

Critchley Family History

The Critchley ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Critchley include Critchlee, Crichley, Crichlee, Crutchley, Crutchlee, Critchlow and many others. This name is usually of English origin and is a locational name taken from several places called Critchely, and frequently especially in County Staffordshire. This name is derived from the old words 'cruc' meaning 'cross' or 'hill' and the word 'leah', meaning a field or wooded grove. Locational names are derived from placenames and describe someone who lived near a physical feature such as a tree, hill, river or church, or from habitations such as a town, village, farmstead or County. An early record of the name refers to a Nicholas Crycheloe who was recorded as being a witness to a Christening at Alstonfield, Staffordshire, in the year 1539. Alexander Critchley (1893–1974), was a Conservative English politician. Alfred Cecil Critchley (1890-1953), was a Canadian-born entrepreneur and politician.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

The Critchley family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Critchley descendants.