Show ContentsAscheby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Ascheby comes from the family having resided in a dwelling near an ash tree. Ascheby is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. There are a variety of types of local surnames, some of which include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions and entire counties. In this case, the surname Ascheby comes from the Old English words æsc and by, which mean ash tree and dwelling. The earliest members of the Ascheby family on record lived in the county of Leicestershire, where they been settled prior to the Norman invasion of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Ascheby family

The surname Ascheby was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat for many centuries. Some of the first records of the name include: Richard de Ashby, Lord of the manors of South Croxton and Quenbyas, found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; William de Ashby (1240-1299), Lord of the Manor of Ashby Magna, Leicester; and Alexander of Ashby (Latin, Alexander Essebiensis), an English theologian and poet about the year 1220. 1

Years later, George Ashby (d. 1475), was an poetical writer, born about 1390. "Little is known of him till late in life, when he appears to have owned an estate named 'Breakspeares' in Harefield, Middlesex, and to have been clerk of the signet, first to Henry VI from the beginning of his reign and afterwards to Margaret of Anjou." 2

Early History of the Ascheby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ascheby research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1346, 1475, 1537, 1614, 1632, 1646, 1665, 1668, 1680, 1688, 1689 and 1693 are included under the topic Early Ascheby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ascheby Spelling Variations

Ascheby 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: Ashby, Ashbie, Ashbe, Ashbee, Ashbey and others.

Early Notables of the Ascheby family

Notables of this surname at this time include: George Ashby (c.1475), Clerk to King Henry VI; George Ashby (died 1537), a martyred English Cistercian monk; and Sir John Ashby (1646-1693), Admiral of the Blue who fought at Bantry Bay in 1668. He was a native of Lowestoft, and presumably a follower of Sir Thomas Allin. "In 1665, he was appointed lieutenant of the Adventure, and in October 1668 captain of the Deptford ketch. From that time onward he seems to have served without intermission, and in September 1688 was appointed to the Defiance, a third-rate vessel...
Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ascheby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ascheby family

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 Aschebys to arrive on North American shores: Alice Ashby who settled in New England in 1635; John Ashbey settled in Barbados in 1663; William Ashbey settled in Virginia in 1663.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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