![Morlanich Longhouse 2004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Morlanich_Longhouse_2004.jpg)
A cruck or crook frame is a curved
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
, one of a pair, which support the
roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...
of a
building
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...
, historically used in England and Wales. This type of
timber framing
Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...
consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a horizontal beam which then forms an "A" shape. Several of these "crooks" are constructed on the ground and then lifted into position. They are then joined together by either solid walls or cross beams which aid in preventing 'racking' (the action of each individual frame going out of square with the rest of the frame, and thus risking collapse).
Etymology
The term ''crook'' or ''cruck'' comes from
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
', from
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
', meaning "hook". This is also the origin of the word "crooked", meaning bent, twisted or deformed, and also the crook used by
shepherds and
symbolically by bishops.
Use
![Cruck cottage in Wick - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Cruck_cottage_in_Wick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_742651.jpg)
Crucks were chiefly used in the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
period for structures such as houses and large
tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithe
A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious orga ...
s, which were entirely timber-framed. They were also often used for the roofs of stone-walled buildings such as churches. However, these bent timbers were comparatively rare, as they were also in high demand for the shipbuilding industry.
Where naturally curved timbers were convenient and available, carpenters continued to use them at much later dates. For instance, base crucks are found in the roofs of the residential range of
Staple Inn
Staple Inn is a part-Tudor period, Tudor building on the south side of High Holborn street in the City of London, London, England. Located near Chancery Lane tube station, it is used as the London venue for meetings of the Institute and Faculty ...
Buildings, Nos. 337 – 338,
High Holborn
High Holborn ( ) is a street in Holborn and Farringdon Without, Central London, which forms a part of the A40 route from London to Fishguard. It starts in the west at the eastern end of St Giles High Street and runs past the Kingsway and ...
, London. This is dated by documented records to 1586, with significant alterations in 1886 (under
Alfred Waterhouse) and further restorations in 1936, and 1954–55. Despite these changes Cecil Hewett, an authority on English Historic Carpentry, has stated that these 16th-century crucks are original.
The large main barn of the manor house
Barlow Woodseats Hall
Barlow Woodseats Hall is a Grade II* listed manor house situated at Barlow Woodseats, on the edge of the village of Barlow, in Derbyshire. It remains the only manor house in the Parish of Barlow, and the current house dates from the early 17th ...
features what is claimed to be the longest continuously roofed cruck barn in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, and possibly even in the United Kingdom.
An example of a
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
cruck barn complete with a heather-
thatched roof
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...
can be found in
Appletreewick
Appletreewick is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Skipton, from Skipton railway station and from Leeds Bradford International Airport.
Appletreewick is in Wharfedale in the Yorkshi ...
. The crucks or cruck "blades" are a single oak tree riven (split) in two to form an equally shaped A frame.
Rare examples of cruck framing are found on continental Europe such as in Belgium, Flanders, Northern France and the
Corrèze
Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...
region of France. No cruck frames are known to have been built in North America though there are rare examples of what may be an upper cruck or knee rafters.
Revival
During the current revival of green-oak framing for new building work, which has occurred mainly since approximately 1980 in the UK, genuine cruck frames have quite often been included in traditionally carpentered structures.
[
]
There are also some fine, historically authentic reconstructions. For instance,
Tithe Barn, Pilton
The Tithe Barn at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England, was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn to hold produce for Glastonbury Abbey. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The barn, of coursed and squared ...
,
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...
, whose original roof was destroyed by lightning, has been carefully rebuilt in 2005 from curved oaks. The necessary trees were sought out, using special templates, in English woodlands.
Types
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/St._Michael%27s_Church_Baddiley_-_geograph.org.uk_-_272728.jpg)
# True cruck or full cruck: The blades, straight or curved, extend from a foundation near the ground to the ridge. A full cruck does not need a tie beam and may be called a "full cruck - open" or with a tie beam a "full cruck - closed".
# Base cruck: The tops of the blades are truncated by the first transverse member such as by a tie beam.
# Raised cruck: The blades land on masonry wall and extend to ridge.
# Middle cruck: The blades land on masonry wall and are truncated by collar beam.
# Upper cruck: The blades land on tie beam, very similar to knee rafters.
# Jointed cruck: The blades made from two pieces joined near eaves. They can be joined in at least five ways.
The apex of a cruck frame also helps to define the style and region of the cruck. Different types include the butt apex, halved, housed, yoke, and crossed forms.
See also
*
Hammerbeam roof
*
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is building done outside any academic tradition, and without professional guidance. This category encompasses a wide range and variety of building types, with differing methods of construction, from around the world, bo ...
References
Further reading
* Hewett, Cecil A. (1980), ''English Historic Carpentry'', Philimore, pp 231–233.
* Harris, Richard (1978), ''Discovering Timber-Framed Buildings'', Shire Publications Ltd. Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire.
* Alcock, N. W., Barley, M. W. ''et al'' (1996), ''Recording timber-framed buildings - An illustrated glossary'', Council for British Archaeology, York.
External links
Cruck databaseBlack and White Timber Framed houses{{Woodworking
Woodworking
Vernacular architecture
Timber framing
Structural system