Askombe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The present generation of the Askombe family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having 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 Askombe family

The surname Askombe 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 Askombe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Askombe 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 Askombe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Askombe Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Askombe include Askham, Askheam, Ascham, Askum, Askam and others.

Early Notables of the Askombe 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 Askombe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Askombe family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Askombe were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: W.B. Askam, who sailed to San Francisco in 1850; and 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