This is a surname recorded heraldically in Nuremburg, Germany, but which despite its Germanic appearance is almost certainly French in origin. Furthermore, it has been recorded in England in many different spellings since the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is a locational name and derives from the village of Criel-sur-Mer, in the Department of Seine-Inferieure, Normandy. The earliest recordings include Simon de Criell of Kent in 1170, whilst William de Kiriel appears in the Court Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1287. Later recordings include: John Kyriel in Surrey (1332); whilst Suzan Krell married Hamblet Haslen at St. Andrew's by the Wardrobe, London, in 1613; and Peter Krelle was a christening witness at St. Stephen's, Coleman Street, London, on April 6th 1792. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Cruel, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book for Sussex, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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