Contents [hide]

Ashe History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Ashe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Ashe family name to the British Isles. They lived in close proximity to an ash tree. As such, the name has local references to towns called Ash in Derbyshire, Surrey, Hampshire, and many other places.

Early Origins of the Ashe family

The surname Ashe was first found in the county of Devon in southern England. The first person to settle in the locality was D'Esse Court, a companion of King William, Duke of Normandy who landed in England in 1066 A.D. and was granted lands by his liege lord in the vicinity of Exeter, Devon.

Alternatively the family could have originated in Esh or Ash, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Lanchester in Durham. "The manor gave name, at a very early period, to a family of considerable local consequence, who held the estate, with little interruption, from the middle of the 13th century till the time of Henry VIII." 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: John de le Es, in Norfolk; Roger de le Es, also in Norfolk; Agnes Ate Nasse in Oxfordshire; and Henry de Asse in Warwickshire. 2

The reference "History of Norfolk" list Joan atte-Eshe in 1345, Roger atte-Ashe, temp. Edward II and John at-Ash, of Bintre, Norfolk in 1349. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only one listing of the family, Robertus del Asch. 2

Another source notes: "There are places so called in Derbyshire, Surrey, Hampshire, and elsewhere. It seems probable, however, that the name was sometimes adopted from residence near a remarkable ash tree. We find the Atten-Ashe of the XIV. cent. contracted into Nashe soon after." 4

Early History of the Ashe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashe research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1597, 1605, 1609, 1618, 1636, 1640, 1644, 1646, 1651, 1652, 1656, 1658, 1660, 1670, 1671, 1681, 1686, 1695, 1697, 1717, 1718, 1735, 1759, 1782 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ashe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashe Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Esse, Ash, Ashe, Aschey and others.

Early Notables of the Ashe family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Ashe (1597-1658), an English clothier and politician for Westbury and later for Somerset at various times between 1640 and 1656, upon his death he left a landed estate valued at £6000 a year
Edward Ashe (ca.1609-1656), brother of John Ashe, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1652
Sir Joseph Ashe, 1st Baronet (1618-1686), an English Whig politician and merchant from Somerset, Member of Parliament for Downton (1670-1681)

Ashe Ranking

In the United States, the name Ashe is the 3,864^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Ashe family to Ireland

Some of the Ashe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashe migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ashe or a variant listed above:

Ashe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ashe, who landed in Virginia in 1642 6
Thomas Ashe, who arrived in South Carolina in 1680 6

Ashe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Baptista Ashe, who landed in North Carolina in 1730 6

Ashe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Ashe, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 6
Henry C Ashe, who arrived in Mississippi in 1837 6

Ashe migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ashe Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Ashe, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7
Mr. Richard Ashe, aged 50 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Colonist" departing 13th July 1847 from New Ross, Ireland; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but he died on board 8

Ashe migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ashe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Ashe, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Shadrach Ashe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 10
Leonora Ashe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 10
George Ashe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 10
Eliza Ashe, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Ashe (post 1700) +

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (1943-1993), American tennis player, winner of three Grand Slam titles and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Victor Henderson Ashe II (b. 1945), American diplomat, former United States Ambassador to Poland
Samuel A'Court Ashe (1840-1938), Confederate infantry captain in the American Civil War
John Ashe (1720-1781), American general officer in the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War
Douglas Ashe (1916-1981), pseudonym of John Franklin Bardin, an American crime writer
Bowman Foster Ashe (1885-1952), American academic, the first president of the University of Miami (1926-1952)
Brian M. Ashe (b. 1963), American politician
Warren Ashe (1903-1947), American actor
William Shepperd Ashe (1814-1862), American politician, U.S. Congressman from North Carolina (1849-1855)
John Baptista Ashe (1748-1802), American planter, soldier, and statesman from North Carolina, Colonel in the Continental Army
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ashe family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. John Ashe, English Trimmer from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 11

RMS Titanic

Mr. Henry Wellesley Ashe (d. 1912), aged 32, English Glory Hole Steward from Liverpool, Lancashire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 12

The Ashe Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non nobis sed omnibus
Motto Translation: Not for us but for all.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 12)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 64)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRLIE/FAIRLEE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairlie.htm
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html