Show ContentsAsplay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Asplay family

The surname Asplay was first found in Sussex where it is generally understood that the first record on the name was Simon de Apsele who was listed there in 1297. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex list Stephen de Apsele in 1327. [1]

Another source noted the family held a manor at Thakeham as early as 1347. [2] This latter entry is presumably referring to Apsley Farm at Thakeham. It should also be noted that Aspley is a township, in the parish of Eccleshall, union of Stone in Staffordshire and a hamlet in the parish of Wootton-Wawen, union of Stratford in Warwickshire and Aspley-Guise (Aspely End) is a parish in the union of Woburn, hundred of Manshead in Bedfordshire.

The Bedfordshire parish dates back to 1330 when it was first listed as simply Aspele in 1230 and literally meant "aspen-tree wood," from the Old English "aespe" + "leah." [3]

Aspey, Herefordshire is a 19th century mill village. Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington.

Early History of the Asplay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Asplay research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1076, 1084, 1135, 1327, 1406, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1562, 1567, 1569, 1578, 1596, 1599, 1600, 1603, 1605, 1610, 1616, 1617, 1623, 1626, 1627, 1628, 1630, 1632, 1634, 1637, 1638, 1640, 1642, 1646, 1653, 1663, 1675, 1683, 1686, 1687, 1727 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Asplay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asplay Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Asplay has been recorded under many different variations, including Apsley, Apsly, Apslie, Apsleigh, Apslye, Apslee, Apslea, Apselie, Apsely, Apsellie and many more.

Early Notables of the Asplay family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Apsley of the City of London; his son, Sir Allen Apsley (1567-1630), English merchant, courtier and landowner, Lord of the Manor of Feltwell, one of the founders of the New England Company; and his son, Sir Allen Apsley (1616-1683) Royalist soldier in the English Civil War, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, buried at Westminster Abbey. William Aspley (died 1640) was a London publisher of the Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline eras. He published the First...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Asplay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Asplay family to Ireland

Some of the Asplay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Asplay family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Asplay or a variant listed above: Abagail Apsley, aged 60, who arrived at Ellis Island from Hudson, Mass., in 1923; Abagail F. Apsley, aged 60, who arrived at Ellis Island from Hudson, Mass., in 1923.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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