Show ContentsApesly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Apesly family

The surname Apesly was first found in Sussex where it is generally understood that the first record on the name was Simon de Apsele who was listed there in 1297. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex list Stephen de Apsele in 1327. 1

Another source noted the family held a manor at Thakeham as early as 1347. 2 This latter entry is presumably referring to Apsley Farm at Thakeham. It should also be noted that Aspley is a township, in the parish of Eccleshall, union of Stone in Staffordshire and a hamlet in the parish of Wootton-Wawen, union of Stratford in Warwickshire and Aspley-Guise (Aspely End) is a parish in the union of Woburn, hundred of Manshead in Bedfordshire.

The Bedfordshire parish dates back to 1330 when it was first listed as simply Aspele in 1230 and literally meant "aspen-tree wood," from the Old English "aespe" + "leah." 3

Aspey, Herefordshire is a 19th century mill village. Apsley House, also known as Number One, London, is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington.

Early History of the Apesly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Apesly research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1076, 1084, 1135, 1327, 1406, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1562, 1567, 1569, 1578, 1596, 1599, 1600, 1603, 1605, 1610, 1616, 1617, 1623, 1626, 1627, 1628, 1630, 1632, 1634, 1637, 1638, 1640, 1642, 1646, 1653, 1663, 1675, 1683, 1686, 1687, 1727 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Apesly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Apesly Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Apesly family name include Apsley, Apsly, Apslie, Apsleigh, Apslye, Apslee, Apslea, Apselie, Apsely, Apsellie and many more.

Early Notables of the Apesly family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Apsley of the City of London; his son, Sir Allen Apsley (1567-1630), English merchant, courtier and landowner, Lord of the Manor of Feltwell, one of the founders of the New England Company; and his son, Sir Allen Apsley (1616-1683) Royalist soldier in the English Civil War, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, buried at Westminster Abbey. William Aspley (died 1640) was a London publisher of the Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline eras. He published the First...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Apesly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Apesly family to Ireland

Some of the Apesly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Apesly family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Apesly surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Abagail Apsley, aged 60, who arrived at Ellis Island from Hudson, Mass., in 1923; Abagail F. Apsley, aged 60, who arrived at Ellis Island from Hudson, Mass., in 1923.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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