Asser History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Asser came to England with the ancestors of the Asser family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Asset.' "Asser was an ancient personal name, as Asserius Menevensis, the preceptor of King Alfred. Two tenants called Azor are found in Domesday [Book]. " 1

Early Origins of the Asser family

The surname Asser was first found in Dorset where the first record of the name was Asser (without surname) (d. 909), Bishop of Sherborne and author of the 'Life of Ælfred the Great.' He was a monk of St. David's (Menevia), and related to Bishop Novis of that see. "Like Grimbald and John, 'the Old Saxon,' Asser, who had a high reputation for learning, was invited by Alfred about 885 to enter his household. He appears to have been encouraged to accept the invitation by his fellow-monks, who had recently suffered from the hostility of Hemeid, king of South Wales, and hoped to secure, through Asser, Ælfred's protection. Asser's 'Life of Ælfred ' ('De Rebus gestis Æfredi Magni') consists of (1) a chronicle of English history between 849 and 887, largely drawn from an early version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and (2) a personal and original narrative of Ælfred's career down to 887. " 2

Another source confirms this record but in a slightly different manner: "Plympton Priory was one of the most ancient and notable religious houses in Devon. The canons who held two hides of the Plintona manor under William, were the successors of men who had been seated there in all probability for a longer period than any other religious in Devon outside Exeter. There is yet extant a copy of a Saxon document of reasonable authenticity, dated 904, which records a grant by Eadweard the Elder to Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, and the convent there, of twelve manors, by way of exchange for the monastery which in the Saxon tongue is called 'Plymentun.' " 3

According to "History and Ant. St. David's" there were two more possibly related men of the cloth in early times: Asser (without surname), canon of St. David's, 1202; and John ap-Asser, canon of St. David's, 1218. 4 From this last entry, the surnames Passer and Pasher are derived.

Less than sixty years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed William Ascer in Lincolnshire and Robert Asser in Derbyshire. 4 The "Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III." listed Jordan Asser, in Northamptonshire, 20 Edward I (in the 20th year of Edward I's reign.) 4

A William Asser, was rector of Aylmerton, Norfolk. 5

Early History of the Asser family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Asser research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1510, 1600, 1653, 1671 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Asser History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asser Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Asher, Ascher, Asser, Hasher, Hasser, Hascher, Aschey, Aisher, Aza, Azor, Ascer, Passer and many more.

Early Notables of the Asser family

More information is included under the topic Early Asser Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asser migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Asser name or one of its variants:

Asser Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Asser, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 6

Asser migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Asser Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Asser, aged 45, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Asser (post 1700) +

Tobias Michael Carel Asser (1838-1913), Dutch jurist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. 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)
South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Pestonjee Bomanjee 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml