Ashly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Ashly dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the parishes named Ashley in Staffordshire, Wilts, Cambridge. The name developed in many counties in England and it represent one of the few names that may have developed simultaneously in several different counties. The family name Ashley is a variant of the surname Ash, which is of topographical derivation and indicates that members of the family once lived in close proximity to an ash tree. 1

There may be a Norman connection as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed "Walter de Esseleia was of Normandy, 1198. He was also of Gloucestershire, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Ashly family

The surname Ashly was first found in Cheshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They were found in many counties in England, and represent one of the few names which may have developed simultaneously in several different counties. They moved southward and appeared in Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon, and Dorset.

By the late 13th century, the name was scattered throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Robert de Aslegh, Devon; Henry de Assele, Norfolk; and Walter de Asseleghe, Somerset. 3

Early History of the Ashly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashly research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1565, 1588, 1606, 1617, 1627, 1641, 1741 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Ashly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashly Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Ashly have been found, including Ashley, Ashly, Astley and others.

Early Notables of the Ashly family

Notables of the family at this time include Blessed Ralph Ashley (executed 7 April 1606), an English Jesuit lay-brother who became involved with the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot; a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929. Sir Anthony Ashley (1551-1627), was Clerk of the Privy Council, and "was descended from an ancient family which had settled, from the time of Henry VI, at Wimborne St. Giles, in Dorsetshire. Of Ashley's early...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ashly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashly migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Ashly, or a variant listed above:

Ashly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Ashly, who landed in Virginia in 1635 4
Robert Ashly, who arrived in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1638 4
Robert Ashly, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
Susan Ashly, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 4
Jacob Ashly, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ashly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Ashly, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ashly (post 1700) +

Ashly Rae, Scottish model and actress

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)