Common crane
Grus grus
Common crane - OE cran, ON trani
With astonishing nation-widespread representation, the single species to appear in more English place-names than any other. It has been debated whether Old English cran exclusively referred to the common crane, or to the grey heron as well, which would go some way to explaining why there are so many crane place-names and so few heron examples (see the page for ‘heron’). We do know that early English people had different words for these species, both of which do appear in place-names, so there is still an unsolvable conundrum. There is no reason to believe that the great number of cran place-names across England is a distorted representation of former populations; we know that cranes were widespread and would have likely bred on the extensive wetlands that once existed. Cranes are also one of the best represented larger birds in medieval archaeological records too.
Until 1979, cranes had been extinct in the UK for some 400 years or so. They are one of those formerly abundant species, like red kites and white-tailed eagles, that we are fortunate to have back in our landscapes, in the crane’s case through both independent return and numerous reintroduction schemes. We have some way to go, however, before residents of those towns and villages named after cranes can start bragging that their namesakes are back on site!
Sites with medieval records (town, village and parish names and some early attested minor place-names)
Cansiron (lost, W Ssx)
Carnforth (Lancs)
Conksbury (lost, Derbs)
Corley (Warks)
Corley Farm (Derbs)
Coreley (Shrops)
Cornbury Park (Oxon)
Cornbrook (Lincs)
Corner Row (Lancs)
Corney (Cumbs)
Corney (Herts)
Cornforth (Co Dur)
Cornham (Glos)
Cornhill (lost, W Ssx)
Cornsay (Co Dur)
Cornwell (Oxon)
Cornwood (Dev)
Cornworthy (Dev)
Corringdon Ball (Dev)
Courns Wood (Bucks)
Crainham Wood (lost, E Ssx)
Crammer Barton (Dev)
Crammers Bridge and Farmhouse (Dev)
Cranborne (Dor)
Cranbourne (Berks)
Cranbourne (lost, Herts)
Cranbrook (Esx)
Cranbrook (Kent)
Cranbury (Dev)
Crandon (Som)
Crane Brook Bridge (Staffs)
Craneham (Dev)
Craneham (lost, Dev)
Cranemore (IoW)
Cranfield (Beds)
Cranford (Dev)
Cranford (lost, Dev)
Cranford (GLond)
Cranford St Andrew (Northants)
Cranham (Glos)
Cranleigh (Sry)
Crankland Farm (Dev)
Cranmer (lost, Norf)
Cranmere (Shrops)
Cranmoor (Staffs)
Cranmoor (lost, Sry)
Cranmore (Som)
Cranmore Farm (Horsley, Glos)
Cranmore Farm (Shipton Moyne, Glos)
Cranney Hall (lost, Cambs)
Cransford (Suff)
Cranshaw (Lincs)
Cranwell (Lincs)
Cranwich (Norf)
Cranworth (Norf)
Great and Little Cranbrook (lost, Dev)
Great Cransley (Northants)
Hutton Cranswick (Yorks)
Le Corlecheflat (lost, Derbs)
Tarnacre (Lincs)
Tranker Wood (Notts)
Tranmere (Ches)
Tranwell (Northumb)
Trenholme (Yorks)
Sites with only post-medieval records (all minor names, including lost places and field names)
Berkshire
Cranemoor Lake
Cranes Copse and Farm
Cranford House
Cranwell Bridge
Cornes Mede
Cranford Ho
Cambridge
Cranmoor Lots
Cranedal
Cranehoofe
Cranbrook Drain
Cheshire
Cawley
Corn Moor Meadow
Cornery Flat
Cran Moor
Crank Field (two of)
Cranks Meadow
Cranks Moor (two of)
Cranks Moor Moss
Cranmere (two of)
Cronkisnestisdale
Cronks Hill
Cronks Moor
Cronmersfeld
Crounebroc
Le Cronkebuttis
Cornwall
Cornakey
Corneal
Cumbria
Stranmoss Wood
Cranebutt
Le Crayne Myer Close
Tranamoss (two of)
Tranemire (two of)
Devon
Corndon (two of)
Cornhill
Crandford
Craniford Farm
Cranmere Pool Letterbox
Crannacombe
Cranscombe
Derbyshire
Cronkstone Grange
Craine Moor
Cran Moor
Cranbury
Dorset
Crane Hill Plant
Cranes Moor
Cornebarrow
Crambourne Pond
Cranmoor
Cranbornella
Cranbourne-lake
Craneforlong
Cranes Meadow
Craynsemore
On Cranmere
Westcornehey
Essex
Crane Marsh
The Crane Fenne
Gloucestershire
Crane Farm
Crane Hill
Cranhams
Cranhill Barn
Cranmoor Rhine
Cornacks Leaze and Tyning
Cram Pulle
Cranmoores
Crannells
Cromer’ Orchard
Cron Mere
Hertfordshire
Cranemead Road
Crane Field
Cranle
Cranmers
Lincolnshire
Crane Bridge
Crane Inn
Craneland
Nookt Trancum
Traneham (two of)
Lancashire
Cranshaw
Cronkshaw
Tranewath
Northhamptonshire
Cranmore
Cranehul
Tranwelle
Cornhill-on-Tweed
Nottinghamshire
Cornley
Crandale
Cranmere
Crankholme
Oxfordshire
Cranehill Copse
Crantnoor Plantation
Corndiche
Cornheyte
Cornwelelond
Crandelhulle
Crane Field
Crane Lounge
Cranwell Close
Cranweye
Cranemeare
Rutland
Crane Hill
Shropshire
Corn Brook
Staffordshire
Cornbridge (lost)
Cranbrook (lost)
Crane Meadow
Crane Pitt Leasowe
Crankhall Lane
Cranmere Farm
Crannage
Cromer Hill
Cronkledge (lost)
Surrey
Crane Ayte
Cranebroke
Cranersh
Sussex
Crane Down
Cranedean
Cranmer Barn
Great Cornes
Grey Nore
To be continued ...
Sources (see ‘About’ page for the full bibliography): Watts, Cambridge Dictionary; Ekwall, Oxford Dictionary; epns.nottingham.ac.uk; Gelling and Cole, Landscape of Place-Names; S. Boisseau and D. W. Yalden, ‘The Former Status of the Crane Grus grus in Britain’, Ibis, 140 (482-500); landscape.org.uk.