Ashby
Major Settlement in the Parish of Ashby with Oby and Thurne
Historical Forms
- Askeby 1044–7 (13 Sawyer 1055) KCD 785
- Aschebei (2x), Asseby 1086 DB
- Askeby 1101–7,c.1200 Holme 1247to1379 FF 1269,1286 Ass 1275 RH 1302to1401–2 FA 1303 Ch 1327 Banco 1333,1498 Pat 1336 NfD 1535 VE
- Askebi 1196,1197 FF
- Essebi 1199 FF
- Asheby 1325,1327 1535 VE
- Ascheby 1361 AD
- Aissby 1535 VE
Etymology
The majority of the old spellings suggest the origin *Askaby , which can be interpreted either as a compound with the gen. of the OScand pers.n. Aski , a short form of names such as Askel , Asger , or the gen. plur. of æsc , askr 'ash-tree', more likely askr , for the gen. plur. of OE æsc does not seem to be the normal composition form in place- names in Nf (cf. Ashby St Mary, Loddon Hundred, and Ashby in Snetterton, Shropham Hundred). v. also Sandred 1988: 9. The ModE form is due to influence from English ash . Cf. Insley 61.
The parish church of Ashby has disappeared, the cause being lack of parishioners. The village of Ashby was almost wholly depopulated in Blomefield's time (c. 1740), but the parish church of St Mary was still standing (Blomefield XI148). It was being used by the inhabitants of Oby, who had lost their own church two centuries earlier (v. EAA 51: 54). According to White (300) some ruins of the church of St Mary remained in his time (1845). Today the site is only identifiable in an arable field “by a thin scattering of pieces of limestone and brick” (EAA 51: 156 f.).