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| Origins Available: |
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The lineage of the name Ashairst begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Ashurst in the county of Lancashire. The name derives from the Old English words, ash, meaning ash tree, and hyrst, meaning hill, and indicates that the town was named for a hill on which ash trees grew. 1
The surname Ashairst was first found in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and the north west of England. The Lancashire family seems to be the oldest as noted "A Lancashire family of good antiquity, and until the middle of the last century [1700] lords of Ashurst in that county, where they appear to have been seated not long after the Conquest." 2
In the north transept of the church of Leigh, Staffordshire are monuments to the Ashenhurst family. 3
"The family of Ashhurst had lands [in Skelmersdale, Lancashire] in 1346 and frequently occur later." 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashairst research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1645, 1647, 1662, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1695, 1711, 1715, 1720 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Ashairst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Ashairst has undergone many spelling variations, including Ashhurst, Ashurst, Ashirst, Ashairst, Ashenhurst and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Henry Ashurst (c. 1614-1680), a wealthy and benevolent merchant of London, "noted for his gifts of money to pious or charitable purposes, the founder of the family of Ashurst or Ashhurst of Waterstock, Oxfordshire, was descended from an old Lancashire family, seated at Ashurst, in the township of Dalton and parish of Wigan. " 5
His son, Sir William...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ashairst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Ashairst were among those contributors: Richard Ashurst arrived in Philadelphia in 1813; and many more.