Ashboourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Ashboourne is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Ashbourne, Derbyshire; in Ashburnham, Sussex; or in Ashburton, Devon. 1

Early Origins of the Ashboourne family

The surname Ashboourne was first found in Derbyshire, at Ashbourne, a market town in the Derbyshire Dales now famous for its historic annual Shrovetide football match. The first record was found in the Domesday Book where it was listed as Esseburne, having derived from the Old English aesc + burna, meaning "stream where the ash-trees grow." 2

The name dates back to pre-Domesday Book times, when it was known as Aescburnan in 1008. 3

"There can be little no doubt, however, that the Ashburnhams have been seated at Ashburnham from the reign of Henry II, and probably from a much earlier period, and are descended from Bertram, Constable of Dover in the reign or William the Conqueror. " 4

"The manor [of Ashburnham in Sussex], with the exception only of a few years, has been from a time anterior to the Conquest in the continued possession of the noble family of Ashburnham, whose mansion-house here is beautifully situated, and surrounded by a fine park. The church, situated behind Ashburnham House, is a neat cruciform edifice in the decorated English style, with a tower; the south transept contains a gallery for the family, and in the north are handsome monuments to William and John Ashburnham, and their wives." 5

Sifting through early rolls, we found Robert de Assheboume in Devon in 1311 and years later, John de Ascheburn in Yorkshire in 1349. 3

Early History of the Ashboourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashboourne research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1603, 1604, 1628, 1638, 1639, 1659, 1660, 1671, 1679, 1682, 1685, 1689, 1697, 1720 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Ashboourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashboourne 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 Ashboourne family name include Ashburnham, Asbury, Astbury, Ashburner, Ashbourn, Ashburn, Ashburnam, Ashburham, Ashbourne and many more.

Early Notables of the Ashboourne family

Distinguished members of the family include John Ashburnham (1603-1671), an English courtier, diplomat, politician and an attendant on the King, he managed to regain his ancestral estate of Ashburnham in 1639; and his younger brother, William Ashburnham (ca. 1604-1679), an English army officer; and Sir Denny Ashburnham, 1st Baronet (c 1628-1697), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Hastings (1660-1679) and (1685-1689.) Joseph Ashbury (1638-1720), was an English actor and theatrical manager. "Born in London in 1638, he was of good family, educated at Eton, and entered...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ashboourne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ashboourne family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Ashboourne surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Edward Ashburham, settled in Virginia in 1653; Francis Ashborn settled in Virginia in 1635; Joseph Ashburn arrived in Annapolis in 1724; William Ashburne settled in Virginia in 1773. In Newfoundland, two brothers were captured by pirates and landed in Newfoundland, and many more..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.