Aswel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Aswel family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in one of the various settlements named Ashwell in the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, and Salop.

Early Origins of the Aswel family

The surname Aswel was first found in Hertfordshire, where "the Ashwells, who derived their name originally from the parish thus called, have been for many centuries represented in this county. William Ashwell owned land in Stapleford in the reign of Richard II.; and a monk of St. Albans in the time of Henry VI. bore also the name of William Ashwell. " 1

"This place derives its name from a well or spring issuing from a rock at the southern extremity of the village, surrounded with ash trees, and forming the source of the small river Rhee. At the time of the Norman survey it was a borough and market-town, having four annual fairs; it was also a royal demesne, and a small manor within the parish was held by Walter Somoner, in petit serjeantry, by the service of providing spits and roasting meat in the king's kitchen, on the day of his coronation. " 2 Ashwell is also a parish in the union of Oakham, hundred of Alstoe, county of Rutland and in Somerset. 3 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two early listings for the family: Richard de Aswelle, Suffolk and William de Assewelle, Rutland. 5

Ernulf de Assewell was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1230, Roger de Asshewell was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1331, and Richard Asshewll was listed in Gloucestershire in 1391. 6

Early History of the Aswel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aswel research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1392, 1478, 1527, 1541, 1612, 1627, 1646, 1647, 1695 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Aswel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aswel Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Aswel include Ashwell, Aswell, Ashewell, Aishwell, Ayshwell, Aswell, Ashwall, Askwell, Ashwill, Askwill, Ayskwell, Eshwell, Eswell, Eskwell, Eskwill, Aeshwell, Eskwalle, Eshwall and many more.

Early Notables of the Aswel family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Ashwell (died 1392), an English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Gloucester in 1391; and Thomas Ashwell or Ashewell (c. 1478-1527), an English composer of the Renaissance. He was a skilled composer of polyphony, and may have been the...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aswel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aswel family to Ireland

Some of the Aswel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aswel family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Aswel or a variant listed above: Ann Ashwell who settled in Virginia in 1650; Henry settled in Virginia 1639; Mary settled in Virginia in 1652; William settled in Virginia in 1653.

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)