Askam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Askam surname lived in parishes called Askham, or Ascham, in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Westmorland (now part of Cumbria).

The name could have been derived from an Old English expression for a "dweller at the Ash-Tree field or enclosure." 1

Early Origins of the Askam family

The surname Askam was first found in Yorkshire at Little Askham or Askham-Richard. :"In the 9th of Edward II. the priory of Burlington held this manor; the patronage of the church was exercised by the nuns of Monkton till the Dissolution." 2

However, we must look to the aforementioned Westmorland to find the first listing of the family. For it is there that the "Placita de Quo Warranto" listed Avice de Askum, 20 Edward I (during the 20th year of Edward I's reign.) Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 listed Thomas de Askam. 3

Early History of the Askam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Askam research. Another 246 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1313, 1379, 1390, 1397, 1398, 1406, 1515, 1540, 1553, 1568, 1638, 1650 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Askam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Askam Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Askam are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Askam include: Askham, Askheam, Ascham, Askum, Askam and others.

Early Notables of the Askam family

Distinguished members of the family include Anthony Ascham (fl. 1553), an English astrologer who studied at Cambridge, became M.B. in 1540, and in 1553 was presented by Edward VI to the vicarage of Burneston, Yorkshire. Antony Ascham (d. 1650), was a parliamentarian and Ambassador at Madrid, "born of a genteel family, educated in Eton school, and thence elected into King's College, Cambridge, 1638." 4 Roger Ascham, (1515-1568), was an English author born in 1515 at Kirby Wiske, near Northallerton. "His family appears to have been of considerable antiquity, and to have taken its name from the villages known East and West Askham, near...
Another 113 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Askam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Askam migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Askam or a variant listed above:

Askam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Askam, who landed in Maryland in 1649 5

Askam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W. B. Askam, who sailed to San Francisco in 1850
Charles, James and Luke Askam who journeyed to Philadelphia in 1854

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)