The CRUTCHER Family Name

by Elizabeth McNamara

CRUTCHER, CROUCHER, CROUTCHER and CROWCHER are the variant spellings of our family name as found in CourtHouse and Archive records.

History tells us that the vast majority of the early settlers were not of the nobility or gentry class, but were the yeoman, serfs and artisans, who came (some "sent") to this country for many reasons. And, many of these persons used as their surname words synonymous to their locality, their trade or a name relative to the estate on which they lived or worked. Should my ancestor have been of this group, I would have no less pride in my Crutcher heritage, as it was these men and women who, through their struggles and hardships and by their labors, determination, and perseverance gave to this land of ours its beginning - and their descendants have continued in their footsteps to make this country what it is today --- the greatest country in the world.

by Frances Laws

In my correspondence with (Mrs.) Frances Laws, she wrote that during the Crusades this family would establish their camp at a crossroads — hence, the meaning of the name. However, in "General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales", by Sir Bernard Burke, 1884, the name CRUTCHER comes from the old name Crowcher (sometimes Croucher), and meant a dweller near a cross, one who came from Crowch (cross), now Crouch End in Middlesex.

Are we entitled to claim the Coat-of-Arms as shown in this General Armory? About fifty years ago Mildred Cox Hodson, Studio of Heraldry, Lawrenceburg, Ky., painted in oils a copy of this Coat-of-Arms for my Mother, which I now have. However, as of now I am unwilling to "claim" it as that of my family - this based on the records re this family, which I have been able to document at this time. As of now, no record to prove our first ancestor in this country, so unable to know the ancestry in England — or Wales, the later country being the country from which our ancestor is said to have come.

Again from the records of Francis Laws - our earliest ancestor was WILLIAM CRUTCHER, who came from Wales in 1663. In a biography of Edwin Ruthvan Crutcher it is stated that the CRUTCHER family removed from Wales in 1675.

by Elizabeth McNamara

In my reading of literally dozens of books re early immigrants to Virginia and the Port of Philadelphia, have found only the following re a Crutcher - Bristol and America, 1654-1685, Transcribed by R. Hargreaves - Mawdsley, 1929, (Reprint 1978). "Including the names with places of origin of more than 10,000 Servants to Foreign Plantations who sailed from the Port of Bristol to Virginia, Maryland and other parts of the Atlantic coast, and also to the West Indies from 1654 to 1685. This List compiled and published from the records of the Corporation of the City of Bristol, England."

This book consists of two volumes, the 2nd being for the years 1663-1679 and consists of 318 pages - on page 144 is listed the names of 12 men, all with the destination of Virginia - among them is WILLIAM CROUCHER

The following from Cavaliers and Pioneers, by Marion Nugent, and published by the Virginia State Library. The three volumes consist of abstracts of the early Virginia Patents.

Vol. I, 1626-1666, page 487 - Patent Book 5:286, 20 Jan. 1662 - James Pope, 1000 acres in Northumberland Co. for transportation of 20 persons - among them, THO CRUNCHER

Vol. II, 1666-1695, page 64 - Patent Book 6:361, 10 Dec. 1670 - Samuel Peachey, 190 acres in Rappahannock Co. on North side the river...for transportation of 4 persons - among them, JNO CROWCHER (Might he be the John Critcher, d. bef. 1697 Westmoreland co., Va.?)

Vol. III, 1695-1732, page 104 - Patent Book 9:711, 2 Nov. 1705 - Richard Bland, 1254 acres on Prince George Co. on Blackwater ... for Importation of 25 persons, among them ROBT. CROUCHER

Vol. III, 1695-1732, pages 163-164 - Patent Book 10:214, 16 Dec. 1714 - Henry Hayward, 95 acres in Denbigh Parish, Warwick Co., escheated from ROBERT CROUCHER 5 Feb. 1713/14. (see will of Robert Croucher, pg. 189)

By: Antony James Crutcher Date: April 23, 2000 on a genealogy website (I do not know this man, never heard of him)

Not that I am expert in the Welsh langauge myself but being the only active Crutcher involved in the tracing of Crutchers worldwide still living Wales I can tell that Crutcher is not a Welsh word.  It does in fact mean crossroads but the family name Crutcher is Anglo Saxon.  Welsh people are Celts.  Other than my own family there are no Crutchers living in Wales who did not come decend my Grandfather William John Crutcher who himself came from Hampshire, in England when his sisters and brothers went to America and Canada.  My best guess is that Crutcher's came from northen Germany where the name is Krutscher quite popular.This is also the Anglo Saxon part of Germany.  Hampshire is in the south of England by the coast which indicates that the first Crutchers came from Germany and settled by the coast which is why the only crutchers in the UK today(other than my own family)came from this area.  (Note from Kent Crutcher:  The anglo-saxons-jutes conquered eastern and southeastern England, 500AD and replaced the existing population in England, to a degree.  This is an interesting area of study, too much for a few one-liners).

by Kent Crutcher

From the book Wales Ancestry, the family name is defined: Crutcher - Local, the Croucher, one who lived by the crouch, or cross, a dweller at the cross, crossroads. It then lists the names of prominent men with the "Crutcher" name and which king they served.

William Crowcher, C.R. 30 Henry VI - 1422-1461 were his reign dates

John le Crocher, K (Henry III to Edward I) - 1272-1307AD were king ruling dates

John Crowcher, rector of Feltwell Co. Norfolk 1430AD

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In November 2003, I was contacted by Debra Black. In part, she states: "There is an Isle of Wight in England (we were speaking of the one in Virginia - KC). That's my family's point of origin (the one in England - KC). I was raised as a Croucher (spelled that way) in Australia. Our family lived all over the place including New Guinea. I was not sure if your American family history might have connections with England".

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I (Kent Crutcher) am comfortable in the statement that the name Crutcher is not directly Germanic. The logical options remaining would be Welch or English. In my opinion, the odds would be English since most of the very early American pioneers were Englanders. However, before his death, I corresponded with Thomas P. Hubbard regularly, probably the 2^nd most learned living Crutcher researcher (Elizabeth McNamara was 1^st, myself 3^rd) and he said, "I know with great certainty that they were Welch".

"The most logical connections though not proven of Thomas Crutcher's father was John Crutcher (wife Jane Jadwin - daughter of John Jadwin) with John's father being Hugh Crutcher who came over on the Bono Nova in 1619, and who died 1628 in James City." From a genealogy searching trip to the locale (eastern Virginia), and aided by a 75 page manuscript prepared by Margaret Miller in the 1960's, Mr. Hubbard's research & opinion are presented as follows:

1. A 1619 census of Crouders Point, James City, Virginia included a Hugh Crouders (Crutcher) who came on the ship Bona Nova in 1619, and brought or bought five slaves (white). Reference: People of Quality Who Went to America, by Hotten, page 234, musters of the inhabitants in Virginia, Crowder's Point, James City.

2. Census of Virginia, 1623. Reference: People of Quality, page 180.

3. Court Order: It is ordered ye Mr. Hugh Crouther, and Mr. Thomas Swyfte shall prayse the goodes of Capt Nortone, deceased; and to present a trew inventory thereof. Note this is the same Hugh (Crutcher) mentioned above, also note that Mr. Swyfte is also the same as the one in item two above listed with Hugh Crutcher. Exact date not found. Note how the "Crutcher" spelling drifts. Reference: Virginia Magazine of History, Vol. 23 page 132. Minutes of the Council and General Court, Ink Folio #126 1624(5).

4. Court Record, 28March1625. John Verone, living at Mr. Hugh Crowthers (Crutcher) hunge himself with a dog's chain. Thomas Hawkins went to look about the plantation when he was missing. Richard Baule went into the loft to see if he was asleep, and found him hanged. Nicholas Smith went to fetch the authorities who had Paule Reighnolles strip John Verone to see if there had been any foul play. There was no evidence of such; the only marks on him were where the chain bruised his neck….(There is more to the record) Reference: Virginia Magazine of History, Vol. #23 page 8, 9.

5. Court Record, 1625. A land dispute is brought before the Court. Justices were Sr. Fra' Wyatt, Sr. George Samell Mathews, Mr. Abraham Persie, and Mr. Wm. Cleybourne. It is stated that the piece of ground belonging to Capt. Powell, Richard Pace, Wm Pery, Thomas Gages, Richard Richards, and Hugh Crowthers had been cleared for the use of all concerned. The stir arose when Capt. Powell exchanged "that ground where Mr. Crowthers lives with Capt. Hurlstone". Hugh Crowthers declared that the land was not cleared for Capt. Powell or anyone else in particular and that furthermore six of his family (brothers? children? relatives?) who did help to clear the ground had noe share (or could this be the men working for him?). Hugh Crowthers here further declared that Capt. Mathews had worked as hard as anyone to bring this land to perfection. There is more to the record. Ref.: Virginia Magazine of History.

6. Court Order: A court at James Citty the 21^st of April 1628. Justices were Captain Francis West, Doctor Pott, Captain Smith, and Mr. Claybourne. Whereas Hugh Crowder, late planter on the other side of ye water (this is understood to mean James Town district) died intestate, the Court having viewed an inventory of the estate hath graunted the administration of ye same unto Rice Watkins and ordered that he doe give in security ye same. Ref.: Virginia Magazine of History, Vol. #30, page 46.

7. Records of The Virginia Company: At a Quarter Court for Virginia held on Wednesday in the Forenoone, the third of July 1622, Mrs. Mary Tue, daughter of Hugh Crouch, being the heir and executrix of Lt. Richard Crouch did sett and assigne over in this Court 150 acres of land which he Lt. Crouch did "bequeath unto her by the name of Mary Young his sister which land was she assigned over to Mr. Daniell Gookin………"

NOTE & CAUTION: I (KC) was contacted by a qualified person researching John and Jane (Jadwin) Critcher and other families. In summary, she states: "Thomas Crutcher received no share of the property of John Critcher of Westmoreland County", and "court/probate records for John Critcher of Westmoreland County and his wife Jane Jadwin (later wife of Edward Berry) do not support any connection of Thomas Crutcher to this couple." Contact me if you wish her website. It has some excellent research. (KC 08Dec02).