Show ContentsAspley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Aspley family

The surname Aspley 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 Aspley family

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

Aspley 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 Aspley have been found, including Apsley, Apsly, Apslie, Apsleigh, Apslye, Apslee, Apslea, Apselie, Apsely, Apsellie and many more.

Early Notables of the Aspley 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; a...

Ireland Migration of the Aspley family to Ireland

Some of the Aspley 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.


United States Aspley 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 Aspley, or a variant listed above:

Aspley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • E F Aspley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4


  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)
  4. 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)


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