Ayshirst is a name of ancient
Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in
Ashurst in the county of
Lancashire. The name derives from the Old English words,
ash, meaning
ash tree, and
hyrst, meaning
hill, and indicates that the town was named for a hill on which ash trees grew.
Early Origins of the Ayshirst family
The surname Ayshirst was first found in the counties of
Lancashire,
Cheshire, and the north west of
England. The
Lancashire family seems to be the oldest as noted "A
Lancashire family of good antiquity, and until the middle of the last century [1700] lords of Ashurst in that county, where they appear to have been seated not long after the Conquest."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print. In the north transept of the church of Leigh,
Staffordshire are monuments to the Ashenhurst family.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. "The family of Ashhurst had lands [in Skelmersdale, Lancashire] in 1346 and frequently occur later."
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Early History of the Ayshirst family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ayshirst research.
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1680, 1679, 1662, 1645, 1711, 1681, 1695, 1715, 1722, 1614, 1680, 1647 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Ayshirst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Ayshirst 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 Ayshirst family name include Ashhurst, Ashurst, Ashirst, Ashairst, Ashenhurst and others.
Early Notables of the Ayshirst family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Henry Ashurst
(c. 1614-1680), was a wealthy and benevolent merchant of London; James Ashurst (died 1679), was an English divine who lost his living in the Great Ejection of 1662; Sir Henry Ashurst, 1st
Baronet (1645-1711), English Member of Parliament for Truro, 1681-1695...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ayshirst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Ayshirst family to the New World and Oceana
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 Ayshirst surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Richard Ashurst arrived in Philadelphia in 1813; and many more.
The Ayshirst 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: Vincit qui patitur
Motto Translation: He conquers who endures.