The name Crumpsall derives from old English and means a "crooked piece of land beside a river". It is first mentioned in 1291. In 1472, Crumpsall was held in
socage by James Radcliffe subject to an annual rent of ten
shillings. It later passed to the family of
Edward Coke who held it until 1789 when it was divided. One part was sold to
Thomas Egerton, 1st Earl of Wilton and another, , to William Marsden of Liverpool. Marsden's portion was divided into three farms: Boardman's Tenement, Pendleton Tenement and Oldham's Tenement and a dyeworks known as Holland's Tenement. Oldham's Tenement, , was sold to the Guardians of the Poor of Manchester in 1855 as a site for the new workhouse, later known as Springfield Hospital. Pendleton Tenement was bought by the Delaunay family and later sold to the Prestwich
Poor law union as the site for a workhouse. Crumpsall was
rural in character during the early part of the 19th century, however, the necessity to house Manchester's growing population of mill workers saw the area become more urbanised. Crumpsall was incorporated into the city of Manchester in 1890. The
Co-operative Wholesale Society opened the Crumpsall Biscuit Works in Lower Crumpsall around 1873. Crumpsall is the location of
North Manchester General Hospital. This was previously three hospitals: Crumpsall Hospital (a general hospital), Springfield Hospital (a psychiatric hospital) and Delaunay's Hospital (a geriatric hospital). In January 2003
Detective Constable Stephen Oake, a
Greater Manchester Police officer, was fatally stabbed whilst arresting a suspected terrorist in a house on Crumpsall Lane. During
Yom Kippur services on 2 October 2025,
a car-ramming and stabbing attack outside the
Heaton Park synagogue left at least two people dead and three people seriously injured. Armed police responded within about seven minutes, shooting the suspect and (accidentally) a worshipper. ==Governance==