This is an English locational surname. It originates from either the town of Ashington in Northumberland, or the villages of Ashington in the counties of Sussex and Somerset, or possibly from Ashingdon, a village in Essex. In all cases the meaning seems to have been 'Ash valley' from the pre 7th century Olde English 'aescen-denu'. All seem to have been recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, showing the importance of ash trees, to the local economy, except Ashington in Northumberland. This was in the area of dispute between England and Scotland known as 'The Border Country', and for several centuries even as late as the time of King James 1st of England and V1th of Scotland (1587 - 1625) was regularly fought over and claimed by both sides. Locational surnames are usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes to move somewhere else as easy identification. In this case the surname is recorded in the city of London from very early Stuart times with that of Jarvis Ashinden at the church of St Brides Fleet Street, on February 15th 1606, and Dorothy Ashington who married John Gray at Allhallows, London Wall, on May 12th 1695.

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