The name
Crowle appeared in the Doomsday Book of 1086 as Crul and appeared later in the Middle Ages as Crul or Crule. The name could well derive from an old British word Croc meaning a winding river. Another suggestion is that the name is a corruption of the Dutch word Krul which means a small settlement.
More detailed information can be found in:
Colin Ella Around the Isle of Axholme. 1993
T.B.F. Emerson The Place and River Names of the West Riding of Lindsey Lincolnshire. 1934
(Both available in North Lincolnshire Local Studies Library).
The place
There has probably been a settlement at Crowle since Saxon times and by Norman times Crowle was perhaps the largest settlement in the Isle of Axholme. The church of St Oswald originates from the Norman era and houses a famous Anglo-Saxon runic column. Throughout its history Crowle has had strong agricultural links and there have been markets held there since medieval times. In the 18th and 19th centuries there was a growth in dissenters with the estabishment of Baptist and Methodist chapels. Many fine buildings can still be found in the centre of Crowle today.
To the west of Crowle there is a stretch of moorland which now holds SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) status and is home to many rare plants and birds.