Surnames from the Memorial Inscriptions of St Oswald's's Church, Ashbourne

Published in October 2003

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DESCRIPTION

The earliest known reference to Ashbourne is on a Dark Age map (410-870) of the county in the possession of the Ordnance Survey, when it is given as 'Aescburna'. It was quite a considerable settlement even at that period.

The present church is mainly Early English with later additions of the Decorated and Perpendicular periods. The chancel and transepts were built about 1220 and the church consecrated and dedicated to St. Oswald in 1241. The spire which measures 215 feet to the weathercock was badly damaged by a gale in 1698 and has had to be repaired twice in the 18th century and again in the 19th. On this last occasion, in 1873, the vicar, the Rev. E.M. Moore, placed the weathercock in position himself, being drawn up by a pulley. The main entrance gates adorned with skulls date from 1700 and were set back a few feet from their original position in 1958, during road-widening. Many gravestones were also removed at this time. The details from them were recorded by the workmen and are listed amongst those given here.

The peal of eight bells was cast in 1815 by William Dobson of Downham, Norfolk. There is a tradition that they are 'Those Evening Bells' of the poet Thomas Moore, who lived at nearby Mayfield 1813-17. The Registers begin in 1538, but those prior to 1604 are early 17th century copies, and many years are missing before 1655.

Ashbourne suffered Plague epidemics in 1594 and 1605. There were 62 deaths on the latter occasion, and special sermons were preached. The vicar's sermon book survives in the British Museum (Harleian Ms. 663). Those who died are said to have been buried between the E. end of the chancel and the almshouses, and the ground never reopened for further burials.

Notable families of the area whose memorials are within the church are the Cokaynes, Bradbournes and Boothbys. Thomas Banks carved the marble figure of Penelope Boothby who died aged 5 years in 1791. She is said to have been able to speak in four languages which are inscribed on her tomb. Her monument has become famous, and Francis Chantrey is said to have made sketches of it when designing his Sleeping Children, now in Lichfield Cathedral.

LIST of SURNAMES from the Inscriptions

ADCOCKADDERLEYAL(L)COCKALLENALLENBY
ALLSOPANDERSONARCHERARMSTRONGARNOLD
ASHBURNEASHTONASTBURYASTLEATKIN(S)
ATKINSONATTERBURYAUSTINAVERYBACON
BACONBADDERBAGNALDBAGULEYBAILEY
BAILEYBAIMBRIDGEBAINBRIGGEBAKERBALDY
BAMFORDBAMFORTHBANYARDBARKERBARNES
BARNESDALLBARNWELLBARTHOLOMEWBASSBATES
BATHBAYLISSBEARDBEARDSLEYBEBBINGTON
BECKETBEDFORDBEEBYBELCHERBELFIELD
BELFIELDBELLBELLBENNETTBENT
BERESFORDBICKERTONBILLINGEBINGHAMBIRCH
BLACKBLADONBLAKEBLAKISTONBLOOD
BLOREBLUNTBOAMBODELLBODEN
BOOTHBOOTHBYBOOTHOUSEBORGHBORROWS
BOSWELLBOSWORTHBOTHAMBOTTBOYDELL
BRADB(O)URNEBRADBURYBRADDOCKBRADLEYBRADSHAW
BRAMBLESBRAMWELLBRANBRANDRETHBRATBY
BRECHAMBRIDDON(EN)BRIGGSBRINDLEYBRINSLEY
BRISTOLBRITTONBROADHURSTBRONDESTONBROUGH
BROUSTERBROWNBROWNSONBUCHANANBUCKSTON
BULLBUNTINGBURBAGEBURBURE deBURFORD
BURGESSBURNETBURTONBURTONBUTCHER
BUXTONBYTHINGECADECADWALLERCALLOW
CALLOWCANNELLCANNERCANTRELLCARRINGTON
CARSONCARTERCARTWRIGHTCATTCAVENDISH
CHADFIELDCHADWICKCHAMBERSCHAPLAINCHAPMAN
CHARLESCHARLESWORTHCHAWNERCHAWORTH-MUSTERSCHEADLE
CHELLCHILDCLARK(E)CLEMITSONCLOWES
COATESCOCAYNECOLCLOUGHCOLEMANCONNELL
COOK(E)COOPERCOPECORBISHLEYCORDEN
CORSETCOURTMANCOWLISHAWCOXCOXON
CRICKCROMPTONCUNNINGHAMD'ABRIDGECOURTDADE
DAKINDALBYDALEDALTONDAVENPORT
DAVISDAWSONDE BURBUREDEANDERBY
DERBYSHIREDESBOROUGHDEVILLEDICKSENSONDISMORR
DIXONDOBREEDOWDESWELLDOWNESDOXEN
DOXEYDREWDUFFIELDDUNCOMBEDUNNICLIFFE
DUXBURYDYOTTEATONEATONECCLES
EDENSOREDGEEGLINGTONEL(L)A(E)BYELLAM
EMERYENTWISLEERRINGTONESSEBURNEETCHES
ETCHESETHERINGTONEVANSEYREFARMER
FARROWFAULKNERFEARNFELTHOUSEFERNI(Y)HOUGH
FILSTEADFIRMSTONEFISHERFITZHERBERTFLETCHER
FOGGFOOTEFORD(E)FOSTERFOULKS
FOXFOXONFRANCISFRANKFREEMAN
FRENCHFRITHFROGGATTFROSTFURBER
GALLIMOREGARNISSGEEGEPPMAGERRARD
GERROMGERVISGETTLIFFEGIBBONSGIBBS
GIBSONGILBERTGILMANGINEVERGINNIS
GLASSBROOKGLOVERGLOVERGO(O)DWINGODDARD
GOLDSBYGOODALLGOODMANGOODREADGOSSARD
GRAHAMGRATTONGREAVESGREENGREGORY
GRIMEGRINDEYGRUNDYGUADOHACKET
HALESHALLHALLIFAXHAMBLETONHAMILTON
HANDHANDLEYHARDE(R)NHARDINGHARDSTAFF
HARDYHARGREAVE(S)HARLANDHARLINGHARLOW
HARRISHARRISONHARTHATSHORNEHAUKE/HAWKE
HAWKSWORTHHAWLEYHAWTHORNEHAYCOCKHAYNES
HAYTHORNEHAYWOODHEATHCOTEHELERHELLABY
HEMSWORTHHENSTOCKHEPWORTHHERPHIGSON
HILLHILTONHINGEHOBSONHOGG
HOLBROOKHOLEHOUSEHOLLANDHOLLANDHOLLINS
HOLLINSHEADHOLLISHOLMESHOLYOAKHOOD
HOOWARTHHOPPSHORNEHOROBYNHOUGHTON
HOULTONHOUSLEYHOWARDHOWELLHUCKAM
HUDSONHUDSONHULLHUNTHUNTLEY
HURDHURD-WOODHURT(E)HUTCHINSONHYLLE
INGLISSINSLEYISLEJACKSONJEACOCKE
JELFJENKINSONJOBSONJOHNSONJONES
JOULEJOURDAINJOWETTKEIGHTLEYKEMP
KENNEDYKENWORTHYKEYIAMKINGSTONKINNEBROOK
KINNERSLEYKIRKLANDKITCHENKNIVETONKNYVETON
LAMBLAMMINLANDLANELANGFORD
LANGTONLEASONLEE(S)LEEKELEGGITT
LEGRICELEIGHLEIGHTONLENTONLEVER
LEWISLIGHTFOOTLINDSAYLISEMORELISTER
LITTLETONLITTONLOCKERLOWNDESLUCAS
LUMBARDMACBEANMACLEANMADGEMAINWARING
MANNMANSFIELDMANSONMANTONMARPLE
MARROWEMARSDENMARSHMARSHALLMARSTON
MARTINMASSEYMATHERMEAKINMEE
MELLORMELTONMELVILLEMIDDLETONMIDLANE
MIERSMILBOURNEMILLATEMILLISMILNES
MILNHOUSEMILWARDMITCHELLMONTGOMERYMOON
MOOREMORLEYMORRINMORRISMOTTRAM
MOULTMOUNTFORTMURRAYMcGREGORNEAL
NEEDHAMNEW(E)NHAMNEWERKNEWTONNICHOLSON
NIELDNOBLENOONNORTHAMPTONNORTHCLIFFE
NUTTALLO'BRIENOAKDENOLDFIELDOLIVER
OLLERENSHAWORMEOSBORN(E)PAGEPALMER
PANEPARKERPARKESPARKINPARKINSON
PATTERSONPEACEPEACHPEACOCKPEARSON
PEGGPETERSONPHIL(L)IPSPHIPPSPIDCOCK
PITTPLANTPLOWMANPOLLARDPOOLE
PORTERPOTTERPOWELLPOYNERPRATE
PRATTPRINCEPROBERTPURDYPURGAVIE
PYMRABYRADFORDRAWLINSRAWLINSON
READRECKLESSREDFERNREEVEREYNOLDS
RICHARDSONRIDDLESDENRIDLEYRIGBYROBERTS
ROBINROBINSONROEROLINSONROOSE
ROPERROSEROWLINSONROYLANCEROYLEY
RUDGESA(U)NDERSSACHEVERELLSADDERSALLARY
SALTSANDERSSANSUMSELLERSSELVEY
SHARPESHARRADSHAWSHIMMELLSHIPLEY
SHORESILCOCKSILVESTERSIMM(S)SIMPSON
SINFIELDSKELLERNSKELLONSKEVINGTONSKINNER
SLATERSMALLEYSMEDLEYSMITHSNELSON
SOLLORSSOWTERSPALDENSPAULDERSPENCER
STANDBRIDGESTAPYLTONSTEVENSONSTOKE(S)STONE
STREETSTUBBSSURTASSUTHERLANDSUTTON
SWINDELLSWINSCOESYMONSSYMSTANNER
TANTUMTARLTONTARRTATETAYLOR
TEMPESTTHOMPSONTHORN(E)LEYTHORPETHRUMLEY
TITTERTONTOMLINSONTOOGOODTOWNSENDTRACKER
TRAINTRAVISTRENDELLTUDBALLTUNNICLIFFE
TUNSTALLTURNBULLTURNERTURVILLETWELLS
TWIGG(E)TYHILLUPTONVERNONVILLE
WADEWAINWAINWRIGHTWALHOUSEWALKER
WALLISWALTER(S)WALTONWARDWARDLE
WARINWARNERWARRENWARRINGTONWATSON
WEBBWEBSTERWELCHWELLETONWELLS
WESTHORPEWETHERALLWETTONWHEELDONWHETTON
WHILLOCKWHISTONWHIT(T)AKERWHITEWHITELOCK
WHITHAMWHITINGWHITTINGHAMWHITTLEWIBBERLEY
WIGGINWIGLEYWILDSMITHWILKIEWILKINS
WILLIAMSWILLIAMSONWILSONWINTWINTERS
WINTONIAWISEWOODWOODHEADWOODHOUSE
WOODINGSWOODWARDWOODYATTWOOLLEYWRIGHT
WYCHEWYKEHAMWYNNEYENDLEY 

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