The 'Crackpool' element (also spelt 'Crackpole', 'Craypool' or other variation) of this church's name apparently refers to a pool frequented by crows, suggesting that it was sited near a pool or spring. It has been suggested that this site may have had pre-Christian ritual significence, although this is purely speculation and there is currently no direct evidence relating to this. The date of the church's foundation is unknown although it it thought to have been relatively early and it had become a prebendal church before 1147. It is possible that it originally had some connection to the Beaumont Fee estate, and may have begun as an estate church. The parish is in an area which was dominated by the cloth trade, therefore it is likely to have suffered during the severe decline of this trade from the 13th century. By the 14th century it had lost most of its population, although it clearly received some patronage during this time as three chantries were founded between 1340 and 1351. The parish was united with St Martin's in 1549 but there is no record of the liquidation of its assets by the City Council following this. The fate of the church building after 1549 is therefore unknown. The churchyard continued in use as an overspill graveyard for St Martin's until the 1850s. {1}{2}{3}{4}{5}