The Crank Family

In June 1994 I decided to send for the Birth Certificate of my grandfather. My mother always said her grandmother was Susannah Miller and she married Thomas Lowe. I knew my grandfather was born in 1865 and found him on the GRO. I sent to Wigan Registrar and said his father was Thomas Lowe and mother Susannah Miller. The Registrar rang the next day and said the mother's name was Susannah Sudworth. He was sure this was the correct Birth Certificate for my grandfather so I accepted it. Two days later I found the marriage of Thomas Lowe and Susannah Sudworth so I sent for the Marriage Certificate.

During the next few days I found a booklet on Holy Trinity Church which said that the Crank family in Downall Green were Millers. The next step was to send for Susannah Sudworth's Birth Certificate and when it arrived I realised the mystery was solved. Susannah Sudworth was the daughter of Jane Crank and James Sudworth. In the 1841 census Susannah Crank had been the miller and her daughter Jane was my gt gt. grandmother. They had always retained the name Miller and everybody in Downall Green had called them Miller.

Mr Haimes of Guildford had a similar problem with Sarah Crank. Sarah was the second wife of his gt.gt.grandfather John Haimes of Storeton. They married at St.Oswald's Chapel, Ashton-in-Makerfield in 1838. She gave her father's name as Richard Crank miller of Downall Green. Since he had no trouble finding her marriage and he knew her father's name and trade he didn't anticipate much trouble in tracing Sarah. Mr Haimes found a Thomas Crank, corn miller and flour dealer, Downhall Green in the 1834 directory. A lady at the history shop, Wigan, found a Sally Crank, daughter of Richard and Susannah Crank born and baptised in 1805. Sally was the sister of Jane Crank and they were both daughters of Richard and Susannah. Obviously she had been baptised Sally but decided on Sarah for her marriage.

Mr Haimes also states - " According to PH Reaney's Dictionary of British Surnames, p81 the name Crank or Cronk first appears with Goderic Cranc of Bury in Suffolk. Reaney quotes the New English Dictionary for a first appearance in 1398. The Middle English version is Cranke. It means lusty, vigorous, in high spirits or merry which is odd when you think that in German it means sick.

The Connoisseur for 1922 volume 64, pp 199-208 has an article on "James Cranke the elder: a forgotton Lancashire painter 1707-1780.

The Mill no longer stands in Downall Green but I presume was near the fields now called Mill Fields, or at least they were called that when I was a girl. The Dam must also have had something to do with the Mill. Downall Green is no longer called that and has been renamed Seneley Green.

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