Ashridge
Early-attested site in the Parish of Little Gaddesden
Historical Forms
- Assherugge c.1200 Miss 1540 LP
- Esserugge 1283–93 Ch 1286 Pat
- Ayshrige 1447 Ct
Etymology
Ashridge is Assherugge c. 1200Miss et freq to 1540 LP, with variant spellings Assherigge , Assherudge , and Asherugge , Esserugge 1283–93 Ch, 1286 Pat, Ayshrige 1447Ct . Self-explanatory, v. hrycg . Skelton latinised the name in the 15th century as Fraxinus in clivo (VCH ii, 210). “On the steep slopes in the beech wood the ash has been very common though many of the trees have been felled” (E. J. S.).