My research has shown that the surname Crutchley is a topographical reference linking our family to a particular geographic location. The most likely meaning of the name is "dweller in a clearing with a cross". Presumably, the clearing referred to was located in woodland, with the cross marking an ancient site of some significance to early Christians. The surname itself undoubtedly originates within the United Kingdom, most likely it was first used in the Northwest region, although it does have strong connections to the Midlands, particularly Staffordshire.

The name is formed from two ancient words. The word "Cruc" means cross, hill, crook or bend and is of Old English or at least British, pre-Roman origin. The second part of the surname derives from the Old English suffix "Leah", meaning a woodland, clearing, or meadow. It is believed to have originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, with some early records showing that ancestors with various forms of the surname can be traced as far back in time as the twelfth or even eleventh centuries.

The first recorded mention of Crutchley ancestors is believed to be in the medieval records of the English county of Lancashire. During the nineteenth century, the largest populations of Crutchley's were living in the English Midlands and nearby regions. Even today a significant proportion of the family continues to be resident in this region. For over three hundred years the Crutchley family has been rooted in the Black Country, and as long as God wills it, we will remain so.

Today the Crutchley population is widely dispersed around the globe, with many Crutchley's having long since departed from the shores of the United Kingdom. They are now living in most parts of the world, including the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Our family are Christians, for generations we have been devoted to Christ. Our ancestors were part of the Methodist movement of the nineteenth century, during that era they served God and the church in our area as ministers. Our Christian faith continues to this day and is the sure foundation on which our lives are built and lived.

Gary S. Crutchley