In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was referred to as "Crauelai".

Manorial records in 1197 show the area was split into Great Crawley and Little Crawley.

The prefix 'North' was added sometime before 1398, probably to distinguish the village from the town of Crawley in Sussex.

The hamlet of Little Crawley still exists under that name.

North Crawley, which is large and scattered, lies on a ridge with a road crossing the centre of the parish.

At the west end of the village are the church and the rectory, a fine house, built in 1800.

The former rectorial or mansion-house is mentioned in the will, dated 7 March 1767, of William Lowndes,

The school, which was built in 1844 by the rector and the late Thomas A. Boswell, adjoins the churchyard.

There is a Wesleyan chapel north of the church and to the east is the Congregational chapel.