Origins
CRABTREE
was first used as a surname in the late 14th century in the West
Riding of Yorkshire, and the man who assumed it was John de Crabtre, a resident
of Sowerbyshire.
There
are several other early records, one as far back as 1301, of persons in
different parts of England who were described as living near a crabapple tree,
but there is no evidence that any of these examples developed into a
surname. The descriptions took the form
of a first name followed by ‘atte’, ‘de’, ‘at’ or ‘of’ Crabtre.
For
three hundred years, there were variations in the spelling of the surname –
Crabtre, Crabbtree, Crabetre, Crabtrie, Crabtry, Crabtrey, Crabtrye and
Krabtree have all been found, the most common being Crabtre – but by the end of
the 17th century the variations had virtually disappeared. It is likely that these different spellings
can be attributed to the fact that none of the Crabtrees could then read or
write, and interpretation of the spelling was left to the local minister or
church clerk.
Distribution
During
the 1400s and 1500s, the surname was almost entirely restricted to two small
areas of the West Riding, one on the west side in the Halifax and Bradford
area, and the other on the east side around Snaith. There was also a toehold gained on the
north-eastern side of Lancashire, but dispersion to the rest of the country was
minimal.
The
1600s saw considerable increase in the number of Crabtree families, including
some distribution of them through the middle part of Yorkshire. The growth in numbers in Lancashire was also
strong, still mostly limited to the north-eastern corner of the county. There were several appearances in other parts
of the country, including London, but the numbers were limited to a handful of
families.
The
first Crabtree to emigrate to America was Edward in 1635, but there is no
record of his survival. At about the
same time, John arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, and with his wife Alice
started a family line that is still strong in New England today.
The
1700s brought an even faster growth, still mainly concentrated in the counties
of Yorkshire and Lancashire. During this
century, there were approximately three times as many Crabtree baptisms in
Yorkshire as in Lancashire, and three times as many in Lancashire as in the
rest of the country combined.
Emigration
was sparse in the 1700s. There were a
few who sailed to America, the most notable being William and Jane who settled
in Maryland about 1705 and gave birth to a family that multiplied and spread to
such an extent that many Crabtrees in the United States today can trace their
roots to this family. This century saw
the arrival of the first Crabtrees in Canada when John and his daughter Sarah
settled in Nova Scotia in 1767.
Ireland
There is no
evidence that any Crabtree line originated in Ireland and it has to be said that
the number of people to be found in Irish records bearing the surname is small.
Nonetheless,
the surname has cropped up since as early as 1665 when one Thomas Crabtree, a
victualler by trade, served as Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland. This was a standard one-year appointment. At the time, Thomas lived on Fishamble Street
in Dublin, close to the docks in the centre of the city.
During the
next two centuries, several Crabtrees were stationed for relatively short
periods in Ireland as part of their military service, or were working in other
occupations. Some were married there and
brought up their children. The most
common location was Dublin, but there were a few who lived in other parts of
the country.
During the
18th century, two family lines of significant historical interest emerged. They relate to John Crabtree who, in 1767,
was the first Crabtree to emigrate to Canada, and Hugh Crabtree who was the
first Crabtree to arrive in Australia - in the latter's case as a man convicted
for his part in the Carlow uprising of 1798 and transported in 1801. Hugh's wife and children were left behind in
Ireland. Both of these men were born in
Ireland, but it is not yet known where their ancestors originated.
DNA
The
Crabtree DNA Project welcomes all participants.
I encourage you to join.
Participating
is an opportunity to uncover information not provided in the paper records,
which will help with our family history research. We shall discover which family trees are
related, and gain pointers as to where to focus additional research into
documented sources. You can see the
progress of the project to date by visiting www.familytreedna.com/public/Crabtree.
The
y-DNA test tells you about your direct male line, which would be your father,
his father, and so on back in time. You
must be male to take this test, and you should have the Crabtree surname. Nonetheless, if you believe there is a
Crabtree or variant in your direct male line, although you have a different
surname, you are also welcome to participate.
If you are female, ask a male in your family tree to participate. I encourage males who order a y-DNA test to
order 37 markers, if possible. If you order
less markers, you can upgrade later, though this costs a little more.
The
mt-DNA test provides information for both males and females interested in
learning about their direct female line, which would be their mother, their
mother’s mother, and so on back in time.
For this purpose, you would order an mt-DNA test. For matches in a genealogical time frame,
order the mt-DNA Plus test. Further
information may be found at www.FamilyTreeDNA.com,
the website of the company hosting this project, or you may contact me at the
link provided below.
Distribution
of Crabtree ancestors before the adoption of the surname, and indeed before any
genealogical time frame, is shown in the attached distribution charts based on
DNA analysis and interpretation - Crabtree distribution based on DNA analysis.
Book
In 2004, I published a book describing the origins, growth and spread
of the CRABTREE surname from 1300 to 1800.
Entitled CRABTREE Dweller by the Wild Apple Tree, my book
examines many available records to trace the towns and hamlets where the early
Crabtrees lived, their trades and occupations, their levels of wealth, and the
rate and directions in which they spread.
I also surmise their lifestyles based on the social pressures over the
500-year period.
The book, which has been updated and reprinted in 2022, contains 373
pages plus eight colour plates. All
sources are referenced, and the book is fully indexed. The Foreword has been written by Dr.George
Redmonds.
For further details, you can contact me using the e-mail link below.
Peter
Crabtree
Oakville,
Ontario, Canada
This page was first published on 18 November 1998, and was last
updated on 5 November 2024
Additions since previous update:
marriage data completed up to December 1922