Show ContentsAilsbury History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ailsbury family

The surname Ailsbury was first found in Buckinghamshire at Aylesbury, a borough, market-town, parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Aylesbury. "This place appears to have been one of the strongholds of the ancient Britons, from whom it was taken in the year 571 by Cutwulph, brother of Ceawlin, King of the West Saxons; and to have had a castle of some importance, from which circumstance probably it derives its Saxon appellation Aeglesburge. In the reign of the Conqueror it was a royal manor." 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was listed as Eilesberia 2 and literally meant "stronghold or a man called Aegel. " 3 As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the surname was found in 1188 when Richard of Aylesbury of Eynsham held estates in this shire.

Early History of the Ailsbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ailsbury research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1307, 1377, 1381, 1455, 1487, 1576, 1615, 1622, 1628, 1635, 1656, 1657, 1659 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Ailsbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ailsbury 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 Ailsbury include Aylesbury, AylesBerry, Aylesbery, Aylesbry, Ailsberry, Ailsburry, Ailsbry and many more.

Early Notables of the Ailsbury family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Aylesbury (1576-1657) 1st Baronet, an English civil servant, Surveyor of the Navy from 1628, jointly Master of the Mint from 1635, and a patron of mathematical learning. He "was born in London in 1576, the second son of William Aylesbury and Anne Poole, his wife. Of his father's position nothing is known beyond the fact mentioned by Lloyd (Memoirs (1677), p. 699), that...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ailsbury Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ailsbury 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 Ailsbury or a variant listed above: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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