Asworthay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Asworthay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the chapelry named Ashworth anciently spelt Asseheworth in Lancashire. Despite the small size of this town (only 233 in the 1861 census) many of the surname have flourished since that time. [1]

The first part of the name, Ash, was originally given to a person who resided in an area where ash trees flourished. Now there are numerous parishes and townships called Ashworth in many counties and there are also various minor localities of this same name from which smaller lines of the name may have emerged. [2]

Early Origins of the Asworthay family

The surname Asworthay was first found in Lancashire at Ashworth, a parochial chapelry, in the parish of Middleton, union of Bury, hundred of Salford. "A family named Ashworth was seated here as early as the 13th century, and appears to have been succeeded by the Holts." [3]

An early variant of the family was Ashwardby. Of this name, we could find only one reference, that of John Ashwardby (fl. 1392), "a follower of Wycliffe, is described by Tanner, no doubt by an inference from his surname, as a Lincolnshire man. " [4]

Early rolls entries are scarce, but we did find Richard de Ascheworth in the Assize Rolls for 1285. [5] Frome here we move to the 17th century where the Wills at Chester listed John Ashworth, of Castleton, Lancashire, 1617; and Oliver Ashworth, of Wolfenden, Lancashire, 1611. [1]

Early History of the Asworthay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Asworthay research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1722, 1775, 1722, 1785, 1811 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Asworthay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asworthay 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 Asworthay family name include Ashworth, Asworth, Ashworthe and others.

Early Notables of the Asworthay family (pre 1700)

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Asworthay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Asworthay 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 Asworthay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Ashworth who settled in Virginia in 1653; Nicholas, Sydney and William Ashworth arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1832 and 1841; along with many more of the name..

The Asworthay Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Appetitus rationi pareat
Motto Translation: Let your desires obey your reason.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)