As both Old English (OE i= pre 1150 AD) components of the name are of Germanic/Norse base, it could be conjectured that the land was originally named in Norse by those settling on it. The place name adhered and in time it was then taken as a surname perhaps by their descendants. It is very likely that the family has a Viking DNA link although this is not established at present.
The OE "cromb/crumb" meaning bent or crooked derived from the low German "crom/crum" with the old Norse equivalent being "krumr". The "b" is what is known as an intrusive growth since then. Crumb would have almost certainly been pronounced "croom". The OE "holm(e)" is widespread meaning a flat piece of land often being a water meadow.
Bring the two together and the name literally describes a flat piece of land in the bend of a river.
The various spellings of the name seem to occur at all periods and there does not appear to have been a distinct trend in the manner in which it has been recorded. Phonetically the spelling of the name as "Crombleholme", "Cromleholme" or "Crumlum" does not really alter the pronouncation.
The earliest record found to date of the name being given to a person is in 1334 with Elias Crumbilholme being recorded as a chaplain in Ribchester. A century later another chaplain of the same church is William de Cromelholme.
The name is also recorded as a place name: From the accounts of John de Radeclif, Keeper of Clitheroe Castle in the year 1341-2 the entry for Bashall ward:
"...............John de Plesington for three waste plots called Crombewalholm*, Swaynesholm, and les Leghes"......27s 4d.
A waste was land used commonly by tenants and was usually on manor boundaries. This piece of land* can be identified as being the area where today the well cultivated farms of Stakes and the Lees are situated near the town of Chipping.
Some members of the family worked as carpenters in the nearby deer park :
Costs of the Lodge of the Park of Lathegryme 1435/6 : Edward Crumbeholm working on the mending of sundry defects of the lodge there in carpentry work for the day - 6d.; Alexander Huntyngdene plastering of sundry walls of the lodge for two days per day 4d. - 8d.;
Richard Boys scything of the rushes for making thak (thatch) for covering of said lodge for two days - taking per day 6d - 12d.; cartage of rushes, price of cartage -1d- 6d.; Alexander thatching of houses within said lodge for ten days, taking per day -4d - 3s 4d.; And in stipend of Thomas Penhulton, his servant for ten days, taking per day - 3d - 2s 6d.; and in stipend of same working upon the riddying od said houses for eight days, taking per day 4d. - 2s 4d.
Costs of Ditch of Lathegryme: And payment to Richard Merseden and his companions working upon the making of 160 roods of new ditch in the circuit of the park there - width eight feet, and depth four feet, and half planted with white thorn in three courses, taking for each rood 8d - 106s 8d.; and payment to Edward Crumbelholm for the making of 160 roods of paling placed upon said ditch, both old and new palings - 2d a rood - 26s 8d.
A link to our family history website : https://sites.google.com/site/crumbleholmefamilyhistory/
