Cruck

Cruck
Cruck Framing: Leigh Court Tithe Barn, Worcester, England.

A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams 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 with preventing racking. Racking is the action of each individual frame going out of square with the rest of the frame, and thus risking collapse.

The term crook or cruck comes from Middle English crok(e), from Old Norse krāka, 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.

Crucks were chiefly in use in the medieval period for structures such as large tithe barns. However, these bent timbers were comparatively rare as they were also in high demand for the ship building 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 Buildings, Nos. 337 - 338, High Holborn, London. This is dated by documented records to 1586, with significant alterations in 1886 (under Alfred Waterhouse) and further restorations in 1936, and 1954-5. Despite these changes, an authority on English Historic Carpentry, Cecil Hewett, is stated that these 16th century crucks are original.

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, Glastonbury, 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.

The large main barn of the manor house Barlow Woodseats Hall features what is claimed to be the longest continuously roofed cruck barn in Derbyshire, and possibly even in the United Kingdom.

An example of a Yorkshire cruck barn complete with a heather thatched roof can be found in Appletreewick: see [1]. The crucks or cruck "blades" are a single oak tree riven (split) in two to form an equally shaped A frame.

References

  • Ross, P., Mettem, C. and Holloway, A. (2007), Green Oak in Construction, TRADA Technology. ISBN 978-1900510-45-5
  • Hewett, Cecil A. (1980), English Historic Carpentry, Philimore, 231-233. ISBN 0-85033-354-7

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  • Cruck — Ein Beispiel aus Worcester, England Der Cruck ist ein hölzernes Konstruktionselement im englischen Dach und Gewölbebau. Das Wort „cruck“ wird wohl am besten mit „hölzerner Gurtbogen“ übersetzt (cruck = arched brace = gebogene Strebe). Bei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cruck-Spur — ♦ Small timber projecting from the outer edge of a cruck blade to support or anchor the wall plate, used in an open cruck truss without a tie beam. (Wood, Margaret. The English Medieval House, 411) Related terms: Crucks, BaseCrucks …   Medieval glossary

  • cruck — noun Etymology: probably from dialect form of 2crook (curved timber) Date: 1898 one of a pair of curved timbers forming a principal support of a roof in primitive English house construction …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • cruck — /kruk/, n. (in old English building) one of a pair of naturally curved timbers forming one of several rigid arched frames supporting the roof of a cottage or farm building. [1885 90; var. of CROOK1] * * * …   Universalium

  • cruck — noun a sturdy timber with a curve or angle used for primary framing of a timber house, usually used in pairs …   Wiktionary

  • cruck — [krʌk] noun Brit. either of a pair of curved timbers extending to the ground in the roof framework of a type of medieval house. Origin C16: var. of crook …   English new terms dictionary

  • cruck — /krʌk/ (say kruk) noun one of a pair of curved timbers which form the framework for the roof of a simply constructed house, especially of the kind that was common in medieval England. {variant of crook} …  

  • Crück — tedesco …   Mini Vocabolario milanese italiano

  • cruck — n. Brit. hist. either of a pair of curved timbers extending to the ground in the framework of a type of medieval house roof. Etymology: var. of CROOK …   Useful english dictionary

  • Charpente a Cruck — Charpente à Cruck Charpente courbée: Leigh Court Tithe Barn, Worcester, Angleterre. Cruck en langue anglaise désigne un arbalétrier d une seule pièce qui descend du faîtage jusqu à proximité de la base des murs. Cette pièce de bois, généralement… …   Wikipédia en Français

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