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Origins Available: |
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The Anglo-Saxon name Assenhurst comes from the family having resided 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 Assenhurst 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 Assenhurst 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 Assenhurst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Assenhurst has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: 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 Assenhurst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Assenhursts to arrive on North American shores: Richard Ashurst arrived in Philadelphia in 1813; and many more.