The first time it is mentioned in history is 899, when king Alfred the Great left the manor to his son Ethelweard. The name "Crewkerne" comes from the Saxon words "Cruce" (cross) and "earne" (cottage), because of the early church there. There was also a mint where coins were made between 978 and 1035. In 1066, the manor belonged to Edith, mistress of Harold Godwinson. After the Norman Conquest, it belonged directly to William the Conqueror. 