CREEK (A.S.), CRECCA,
KREEK (Teut.),
CRIQUE (Fr.),
a small bay; e.g. Cricklade, anc. Creccagelade (the bay of the stream); Crayford (the ford of the creek); Crique-bœuf, Crique-by, Crique-tot, Crique-villa (the dwelling on the creek); Criquiers (the creeks), in France. In America this word signifies a small stream, as Saltcreek, etc.
CROES, CROG (Cym.-Cel.),
CROIS, CROCH (Gadhelic),
CROD (A.S.), KRYS (Scand.),
KREUTZ (Ger.),
CROIX (Fr.),
a cross, cognate with the Lat. crux; e.g. Crosby (the dwelling near the cross); Crossmichael (the cross of St. Michael’s Church); Groes-wen for Croes-wen (the blessed cross), in Glamorgan; Crossthwaite (the forest-clearing at the cross); Croxton (cross town); Crewe and Crewkerne (the place at the cross); Croes-bychan (little cross); Kruzstrait (the road at the cross), in Belgium; Crosscanonby, Crosslee, Crosshill, places in different parts of Scotland, probably named from the vicinity of some cross; but Crossgates, Co. Fife, so called from its situation at a spot where roads cross each other. It was usual with the Celts in Ireland, as well as with the Spaniards and Portuguese in America, to mark the place where any providential event had occurred, or where they founded a church or city, by erecting a cross—as in St. Croix, Santa-Cruz, and Vera Cruz (the true cross), in South America. In Ireland: Crosserlough (the cross on the lake); Crossmolina (O’Mulleeny’s cross); Aghacross (the fort at the cross); Crossard (high cross); Crossreagh (gray cross); Crossmaglen, Irish Cros-mag-Fhloinn (the cross of Flann’s son); Crossau, Crossoge, and Crusheen (little cross); Oswestry, in Shropshire, anc. Croes-Oswalt (the cross on which Oswald, King of Northumberland, was executed by Penda of Mercia). Its Welsh name was Maeshir (long field), by the Saxons rendered Meserfield; Marcross (the cross on the sea-shore), in Glamorgan; Pen-y-groes, Maen-y-groes, Rhyd-y-croessau (the hill, the stone of the cross, the ford of the crosses), in Wales; Glencorse, near Edinburgh, for Glencross, so named from a remarkable cross which once stood there; Corstorphine, in Mid-Lothian, corrupt. from Crostorphin, which might mean the cross of the beautiful hill, torr fioum, or the cross of a person called Torphin. In the reign of James I. the church of Corstorphine became a collegiate foundation, with a provost, four prebendaries, and two singing boys. Croich in Gaelic means a gallows—thus Knockacrochy (gallows hill); Raheenacrochy (the little fort of the gallows), in Ireland.
CROAGH (Gael.),
a hill of a round form—from cruach (a haystack); e.g. Croghan, Crohane (the little round hill); Ballycroghan (the town of the little hill), in Ireland; Bencruachan (the stack-shaped hill), in Argyleshire.
CROFT (A.S.),
an enclosed field; e.g. Crofton (the town on the croft); Thornycroft (thorny field).
CROM, CRUM (Gadhelic),
CRWM (Cym.-Cel.),
KRUMM (Ger.),
CRUMB (A.S.),
crooked; e.g. Cromdale (the winding valley), in Inverness-shire; Croome, in Worcester; Cromlin, Crimlin (the winding glen, ghlinn), in Ireland; Krumbach (the winding brook); Krumau and Krumenau (the winding water or valley); Ancrum, a village in Roxburghshire, situated at the bend of the R. Alne at its confluence with the Teviot.