Crampton

This unusual surname, with variant spellings Crompton and Crampton, is of Anglo-Saxon (Northern English) locational origin from Crompton in Lancashire. Recorded as "Crumpton" in the 1246 Assize Rolls of that county, the name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century "crumb" meaning bent or crooked, plus "tun", a farm or settlement; hence, "settlement by a bend in a river or road". Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The surname was first recorded in the mid 13th Century (see below). One Richard de Crompton (witness) appears in the 1246 Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire. John Crompton of Dean, and Edward Crompton of Crompton were entered in the Wills Records at Chester, in 1554 and 1587 respectively. On June 6th 1566, William Crumpton, an infant, was christened in Winwick, Lancashire, and on April 24th 1664, Allis, daughter of Richard Crumpton, was christened in St. Nicholas', Liverpool, Lancashire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hugh de Crompton, which was dated 1130, recorded as a witness in Bains', "History of Lancashire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Lion of Justice", 1100 - 1135. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.