View Full Version : Crookes - What's in a name?


Carlwarker
22-09-2003, 16:28
I've mentioned this on another thread, but does anyone know when 'Crooks' became 'Crookes' - and why?

upholder
22-09-2003, 17:42
Have a look on GenUKI (http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Sheffield/), it lists info about Sheffield from the 1820's.

Crookes is listed as Crooks as is Crooks Moor.

Carlwarker
22-09-2003, 17:57
Thanks - it's just that I have come across 'Crooks' on so many web-sites.

Here are just three:

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~exy1/images/Jefferys_1775.jpg

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~exy1/maps.html

http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Sheffield/more.html

Maybe it is just misspellings before 'spelling' became standardised'.

Toby
23-09-2003, 06:03
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

HughW
31-05-2006, 07:08
Such an old thread, I'm surprised it's not in Middle english :D

Just looked at David Hey and Joan Unwin's (eds) book The Cutlers of Hallamshire 1624-1699. There are examples of both spellings from that period.

Some early references in another David Hey pamphlet The Origins of One Hundred Sheffield Surnames

Robert of Crokis 1297
Adam of Crokes 1350
Thomas of Crokes 1379

to call these mis-spellings suggests there is standard form that pre-dates and has more authority than the others, which there isn't :D

Hugh

Greybeard
31-05-2006, 07:13
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

It would seem so ...

"CROOKS, in the townships of Nether Hallam and Ecclesall Bierlow,"

:D

purdyamos
31-05-2006, 11:24
Why was the bus stolen?

Because it had 52 Crookes on it. :D

jgharston
31-05-2006, 14:10
It would seem so ...

"CROOKS, in the townships of Nether Hallam and Ecclesall Bierlow,"

:D

Nether Hallam was roughly the area between the Rivelin, Loxley, Don, West Street and Crookes Road.

Ecclesall Bierlow was roughly the area between the Porter, West Street, Hannover Street, the Sheaf, Limb Brook and the Derbyshire border.

Nether Hallam and Ecclesall Bierlow overlapped in some very complicated ways in Crookes. St. Thomas' Church is build half in Nether Hallam and half in Ecclesall Bierlow. Some houses are on plots of Ecclesall entirely surrounded by Nether Hallam. See http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~exy1/images/Ecclesall_Bierlow_map.jpg

slimsid2000
31-05-2006, 14:21
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

Surley there are no crooks in Ecclesall.

sazk23
31-05-2006, 14:50
Why is Stannington called Stannington?

Is it true that Stannington wasn't part of sheffield like a zillion years ago(slight exageration) or something.?

slimsid2000
31-05-2006, 14:52
Why is Stannington called Stannington?

Is it true that Stannington wasn't part of sheffield like a zillion years ago(slight exageration) or something.?

Not until 1974 to be exact. It used to be part of Woertly parish councill I think but became part of Sheffield during the nationwide boundry changes in April 1974. Blame Ted Heath if you like.:hihi:

Rich
31-05-2006, 16:40
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

No mate, but it does, in a roundabout way at least, lead to Ecclesall Road, via Broomhill and Hunter's Bar, but of course Eccy Road is not actually IN Ecclesall (that debate has been done to death and just winds t020 up).

t020
31-05-2006, 17:08
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

No, but if it was, then in closer proximity is Fulwood, Ranmoor, Dore and Whirlow, so if Crookes is in Ecclesall, so are those 4 areas too, and that can only be a good thing!

In fact, judging by what people (misguidedly) think constitutes Ecclesall, why do we not just rename Sheffield to Ecclesall?

espadrille
24-07-2008, 15:23
It would be better if it was Crooks as easier to spell, but makes us sound like criminals!!:suspect:

slimsid2000
24-07-2008, 15:28
Because it is full of crooks of course. I slander here I slander there those who live in Dore will never care.

exmrbd
24-07-2008, 15:58
Why was the bus stolen?

Because it had 52 Crookes on it. :D

LMAO :hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi:

scargill
24-07-2008, 17:05
No, but if it was, then in closer proximity is Fulwood, Ranmoor, Dore and Whirlow, so if Crookes is in Ecclesall, so are those 4 areas too, and that can only be a good thing!

In fact, judging by what people (misguidedly) think constitutes Ecclesall, why do we not just rename Sheffield to Ecclesall?

If Crookes has been moved into Ecclesall then my house is going up for sale.

shinyhappy68
24-07-2008, 19:07
Where did "On Crookes" come from? Eg. Im just going on Crookes.........or I saw Bob on Crookes yesterday.......

You wouldnt say on Broomhill or on Stannington would you??

Just curious.......:hihi:

Rich
24-07-2008, 19:09
Crookes. Isn't that in Ecclesall?

No.

Crookes is S10, Eccleshall is S11 (Staffordshire actually, I just put the H in to annoy t020! :P)

sccsux
24-07-2008, 19:14
Where did "On Crookes" come from? Eg. Im just going on Crookes.........or I saw Bob on Crookes yesterday.......

You wouldnt say on Broomhill or on Stannington would you??

Just curious.......:hihi:

Because there is a street called Crookes (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=432841&y=387605&z=1&sv=crookes&st=6&tl=Crookes,+Sheffield,+S_10&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf)?

Sams Cuts
24-07-2008, 20:30
CROOKES - SHEFFIELD

To put matters into context it is worth mentioning an article from the Universal British Directory, 1791 which gives an idea of the demographic growth and physical situation of Sheffield

"The following is the state of the population of Sheffield at different periods. In 1615 the inhabitants were in number 2207; in 1736, 9695; in1755, 12,983; at present there are about 7000 houses and about 30,000 inhabitants. In 1732, according to Mr. Gosling's plan, there were thirty-two streets in Sheffield. In 1771, according to Mr. Fairbank's plan, there appears to have been an addition of twenty-five streets. In 1792 there appears to have been a further addition of seventeen streets.

The communication with the metropolis is rendered very commodious by the road being made turnpike from Leeds through this town to Derby, and a machine going out to, and coming in from, London three times a week in the summer and twice in the winter. There is an excellent road likewise from hence to Chatsworth, Buxton, and Manchester; and another from Attercliffe to Worksop,in Nottinghamshire. The buildings are in general of brick, and there are some good houses, especially in the High-street, Norfolk-street, near St.Paul's chapel, and Paradise-row; but, from the great quantity of smoke occasioned by the manufactory, the newest buildings are apt soon to be discoloured. The town is, however, in general, very healthy, seldom any epidemical distemper prevailing here, except the small-pox, whooping-cough, or measles; the first of which, as inoculation has not gained much ground here, sometimes proves very fatal, having greatly increased the burials."

Sheffield at the end of the eighteenth century still bore no comparison in size and population to the city of today

Crookes itself started as a straggling settlement and even at the begining of the nineteeth century many of the medieval open field patterns still survived and were in a remarkable state of preservation. Even in the mid nineteenth century Crookes was regarded as one of the local holiday spots. Thomas Asline Ward writing to a friend in 1855 stated

"I find that your son has taken a partner and gone to Crookes for the country air. I am sorry his wife requires it and hope that her health will soon be restored"

The painting below shows Crookes in 1826. Crookes at that time was very much in the countryside. It seems to me that the painting shows Crookes Moor an area of Crookes that was noted for its reservoirs and its racecourse. The racecourse was first mentioned in 1711 and was situated in what now is Fulwood Road. Racing continued there throughout the eighteenth cetury during which time a grandstand was erected by the wealthier citizens of Sheffield. The races were only discontinued when the commons of Ecclesall Bierlow were enclosed between 1778 and 1789 and the grandstand was taken down a few years later.

Probably the impetus for the development of Crookes lay in the opening of the turnpike road to Glossop in 1821. The Broomhill Local History Society say that this development was central to the begining of Broomhill (the area adjoining Crookes)"Terraces as well as bigger houses followed the road and the first back-to-back houses were built in Peel Street in 1827. Houses also crept down from Crookes as far as Hoole Road, this area being known as Mount Pisgah..."

There is photograph in J Edward Vickers book "Sheffield Old and New" (1973) that shows that even in 1860 Crookes was really nothing more than a set of straggling houses lining the main road through the village

Today very little is left of what could be termed "Old Crookes". The aerial photograph taken circa 1980 shows a densely populated suburb of Sheffield. The church in the Centre of the photograph is on the corner of Western Road and Springvale Road (now redundant) whilst the church at the top of the photograph is St Timothy's Church on Slinn Street

I have also placed on the site an aerial photograph of Sheffield that was taken in 1948 and there is also an article together with photographs of St Thomas Church Crookes, the church where my great grandparents EDWIN and MARY SANBY were married

I am also in the process of adding further photographs of Crookes to the site and these can be viewed on the following pages

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This page was last updated on 16/07/03 12:21