PRN 641040 Cranwell is first mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was owned primarily by Gilbert de Gand, although Ramsey Abbey also had half a carucate of land there. The minimum population consisted of 21 sokemen, 2 villeins, 5 bordars and Geoffrey, Gilbert's man. {1} The name Cranwell is of Old English origin and refers to 'the spring where cranes are found'. There are springs to the south of the village. {2} In the Lay Subsidy of 1334, Cranwell's wealth is assessed as £2 13s, which is below average for its wapentake (Flaxwell). {3} The Diocesan Return in 1563 gives 'no figure' for the parish's population. {4} The Diocesan Returns of the late 17th/early 18th century record Cranwell's population as 50 families. {5} Cranwell had a population of 88 people by 1801, rising to 240 in 1851 before falling again to 138 by 1901. {6} The landowners in Cranwell from the medieval period onwards are discussed in Trollope and Yerburgh. {7}{8} A further description of the parish and its residents in 1956 is given in White's Directory. {9}