Show ContentsAssebroc History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Assebroc family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Gloucestershire, in the village of Ashbrook. The name was originally rendered in the Old English from esbrock, a word indicating a place where ash trees grew by a stream or brook.

Early Origins of the Assebroc family

The surname Assebroc was first found in Gloucestershire, at Ashbrook, listed as Esbroc and Estbroce in the Domesday Book. 1 At that time, Esbroc was part of the Gersdones hundred, land held by Durand of Gloucester and was the size of one hide, land enough for one household with one plough, one border and one slave. However, the reference also lists Estbroce in the same Hundred, but smaller in size at a virgate which was one-quarter of a hide in size and held by Humphrey the Chamberlain. Today, little evidence is found of Ashbrook, Gloucestershire.

Early History of the Assebroc family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Assebroc research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1190, 1218, 1258, 1265, 1353 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Assebroc History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Assebroc Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Assebroc include Ashbrooke, Ashbrook, Ashbrock, Ashbruck, Ashbroc, Ashbruc, Assebroc, Aschbroc and many more.

Early Notables of the Assebroc family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • William de Assebroc, a prominent 12th century landholder in Essex

Migration of the Assebroc family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Assebroc or a variant listed above: John Ashbrook, who sailed to Maryland in 1646; Thomas Ashbrooke to Virginia in 1653; John Ashbrooke to Delaware in 1682; John Ashbrook to New Jersey in 1697.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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