1) It derives from Old Norse <i>kringla</i> which had the meaning ‘circle’ and the suggestion is that it referred to the circular sweep of a river, a round hill, or any topographic feature of circular shape (EPNE2/7).
It is a frequent place-name element in Yorkshire and perhaps not enough attention has been paid to the landscapes in which it occurred. For example, it is commonly combined with kjarr which referred to marshy areas: 1212 et vocantur illć acrć Krinkilker, Plumpton
1316 ‘in the common field … half a rood at Kringelker’, Aldborough
1443 ‘leading to York and Kringelker’, Tadcaster
1538-9 unius prati vocati Krynglecarre cum le Sprynge eidem pertinente, Griff. The combination also gave rise to a by-name: 1229-34 Simon de Cringeleker, Burnsall. It was also linked with mýrr which similarly referred to marshy areas: c.1290 ‘Brademire and Cringelmire with adjacent meadows’, Farnley near Otley
1407 cringlemyre
1507 for the cryngyll now in the occupacon of Thos Taylo[u]r … for the cryngyll myer in the occupacon of John Quintaunce, Temple Newsam. Many similar place-names have simply gone unnoticed: a deed of 1653 for Ingleton has the Cringell Mires and numerous instances occur in Cumbria: Smith lists eight or nine examples of Cringlemire in Westmorland alone.In the 1507 reference just quoted the word ‘cringle’ reads as much like a vocabulary item as a place-name and the same might be said when it has ‘mill’ as the first element: 1613 one piece of land called the mylne cringle, Drighlington
1663 make a sufficient fence … betweene his mill chringle and Boulton Rishie Cringle, Bolton on Dearne. Other place-names identified as waterside locations are: 1379 cringlefordloine, Methley
1580 Cringleholme
1642 Wett Kringles in Exilby … the Wett Kringles yate. The inference in that 'cringle' referred usually to marshy land in a circular sweep of a river or brook.