The following extracts have been taken from ‘The Barbers of the Peak’ by Ivan G. Mitford-Barberton (1896 – ?), published in 1934.
CHAPTER XII
THE ATHERSTONE FAMILY
The Atherstones belong to an old Warwickshire family, and the village named after the family of the Saxon Athelstan. ‘Atherstone and Atherstone Priory’ are mentiond in the Domesday Book. The remains of the Friary are still to be seen in the valley; near by stands the present old abbey. Tradition says that the Atherstone were deprived of their title (Earls of Atherstone) and estates for some political reason, and the family must have sunk for a time into poverty and obscurity.
Atherstone Friary was transferred in 1464 to the Carthusian monks. It was the custom for great saints or sinners to build churches, monasteries, abbeys, etc, as a thank-offering for some great mercy vochsafed, or in payment of a vow, or to expiae some bad deed.
The name Atherstone shows good origin. Some great man would own land, and live in state; in time a village would grow up round him, and later become a town taking his name. Families did not get their names from towns, but the towns from families. You will find all over England people with the name of some town; and if you trace back you will find their ancestors of rank had given their name to the town.
After the downfall of the house they did not use the old coat of arms, but when they came into their own again it emerged with the prosperity of the family. The coat of arms is a very old one-one of the oldest in England. A much-treausred copy on a roung wooden board was in the possession of Mr. John Atherstone.
Atherstone Hall was built from the ruins of Atherstone Friary. It was brought by marriage into the family of Sir John Repington, Kt., of Armington, and later sold to Abraham Bracebride, Esq., about 1690. A Bracebridge married a Miss Atherstone – an heiress. As far as is known, no family history was actally written. The Atherstones belong to one of the many thousands of the old fmailies who never had a written history. About 1760 three brothers and two sisters went to Nottingham from Higham-on-the-Hill, a village about 5 miles from Atherstone in Warwickshire. They set up a quite a big business as dyers, and did well, at leat Hugh did, for he became a very rich man. He married Ann Green. They were a very fine, much-loved, and respected couple They lived in a fine old house ‘like a castle’ in Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham. Amenia Barber describes how she visited it when a girl, but the lovely gardens were then built over, and the house let out in rooms. Much information given in this chapter and pedigree was supplied by Miss Amenia Barber, who was quite an authority on family history. She was a grand-daughter of Hugh and Ann Atherstone.
No trace of the family is to be found in Atherstone today, and the name
is almost extinct in England, and no other family of that name has existed for a long time. In London there is still ‘Atherstone Mews’, ‘Atherstone Mansion’, and ‘Atherstone Terrace’, all of which at some time belonged to the family.
The Atherstones, besides claiming descent from the Saxon Athelstan, have an interesting family tree, which comes through the old Saxon dynasty from Egbert, King of all England A.D. 823, and through some of the Scottish line, then through the Hastings, Castells, and Damants to the descendant of Dr. John Atherstone in South Africa. This has been verified by the British Museum expert who helpd Mrs Harry Castell Damant in her research work. It is diret form parent to child without a single break. The Atherstones became an important family in Nottingham, as is recorded in Notabilities of Nottingham, published towards the end of the eighteenth century. This family was much interested in cloth manufacturing and dyeing.
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Atherstone was my Grandmother’s maiden name, it has aquired an interest to me. Knowing one’s ancestors is very rewarding. Also being a descendant of past nobility is something fun to know. Sad that there are no men to carry on the name.
Fortunately there are a few male desendents
of the Atherstone name. In South Africa we number 8. We come from the line of Dr John Atherstone who came to SA with the 1820 selllers.
I have been trying to track down information on the Atherstones for years. My father was Richard Atherstone Genders, born August 3, 1919 in North London, son of William Genders and Ann Nelson Walsh Penn Genders. (The Genders were an old family from Ellastone, Staffordshire, and the name was originally documented as Gynner, but with the addition of the northern ‘d’ becamed spelled Genders in the 1600′s.)He told me Atherstone Hall was lost from the family through gambling debts, was bombed during the war, and was built over with public housing. The heraldic shield, above, is one of the shields my grandfather had a copy of, but I have not been able to find a connection between the Genders and Atherstone families as yet. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
There are only about 1/2 dozen Atherstone families in the United States. I have also had contact with a few Atherstone families in Australia too. My mother does atherstone geneology – email me at atherstone@aol.com if you would like to contact her… Best wishes to you all.
I have one son and two cousins (John and James)named Atherstone. My son has a daughter and my cousins have sons. So the Atherstone name lives on here in California and some of them are living in other countries.
Has there been any trace thus far from the Atherstone line to the Atherton line? All the information I have points to this, I have even had an immemorable geneology company tell me that it comes from Atherstone, but nothing concrete as of yet. Is there a published lineage that I would be able to trace and see if my branch fits in there somewhere?
Email me at michael_a_atherton@yahoo.com with any beneficial information you may have. I have been trying to do this on and off for the last 15 years with no success as the elders in my family are either passed on or do not know fact. Thanks in advance.
Hi All,
Indeed the male line continues; my family and I reside in England. I have also come across quite a few more Atherstone’s across the world on facebook see http://www.facebook.com – there’s actually quite a few of us around the world.
I beleive my Grandfather was born in South Africa. But I really dont know very much more as to which Atherstone family he was from – his name is Roberto Annaballe Lawra Sancroft Atherstone. I have noticed there are two mentions of Sancroft Atherstone’s on http://www.manninghouse.co.uk/FamilyTree/Atherstone/AtherstoneFamilyTree.htm – Norman Sancroft Atherstone and Roderick Sancroft Atherstone – so perhaps they are great uncles…. My grandfather also has a sister called Betty Atherstone who apparently now lives in Italy. If anyone has more information on my particular line I would love to hear from you. Thanks in advance. Victoria (victoria.atherstone@hotmail.co.uk)
Where where Hugh and Ann Atherstone from because I knew a Hugh Atherstone from Richmond in Natal South Africa.
their are a few atherstone’s liviving out in SA, on my granmother’s side. we still have the atherstone crest ring.
My Grandfather was Charles Atherstone and my Dad’s name was Kenneth Damant Atherstone from Greytown Natal South Africa. The part I am missing is from my grandfather down to Dr William Guybon Atherstone from Grahamstown. I have traced the history from William Guybon back to his father Dr John Atherstone who emigrated to Grahamstown from Nottingham England whose father was Hugh Atherstone born in Higham-On-The-Hill near Atherstone in County Warwickshire and moved to Nottingham with his two brothers William and Samuel. Hugh married Ann Green and they had 15 children and John is the one who made the move to South Africa. I wonder why there is nothing recorded of Hugh;s father.
@ Graham
Hugh Atherstone of Richmond was my grandfather. He married Catherine Butcher and had two sons – Vernon Hugh (my father) and Russell Mitford.
My father then married Sandra (my mother) and had two daughters (Nicola and Claire) and a son (Craig).
I have kept my name and have two sons who are thus Atherstones. We are now in New Zealand.
There are various Atherstones still in the KwaZulu Natal area of South Africa – particularly around Hillcrest (Trevor, Nigel, Faery…)
I know there were Atherstones out in White River (in the old Eastern Transvaal of South Africa) Norman and Monty owned vast gum plantations out there.
Someone in our line put a book together tracing our line way back (Through William Guyborn) to Saxon England.
This site is fascinating!
Hi Claire. Please can I have the address of the site that shows the KwaZulu lineage. We live in Kloof (Durban). Does anyone else perhaps have a clear family tree of the current South African Atherstone family (current and past South African family)?
Hi Brenda
There isn’t a website I know of – we all got printed versions some time back. Perhaps contact Trevor Atherstone who is in the Hillcrest area or Nigel Atherstone in Kloof – they may be able to put you in touch with someone with a copy. Otherwise my parents – Vernon and Sandra Atherstone are in Sandton – they knwo a bit more about it – I just read the book.
Good luck!
The Museum of Nottingham Life in Brewhoue Yard, Nottingham holds considerable information on the Atherstone family when in Nottingham. We would be happy to share this with descendants and would love to also have more up to date information in exchange. This is part of a One Place Study of Brewhouse Yard in Nottingham covering the period 1610- today.
I am now doing this as a volunteer so may take a little time to return you eamails. Please bear with me. Suella.Postles@nottinghamcity.gov.uk