Select Nash Miscellany



Here are some Nash stories and accounts over the years:


Richard Nash from Pembrokeshire

The Nashes were a Welsh gentry family.  Their arms portray a black shield with a silver chevron, three running greyhounds, and three green ash branches.  Surprisingly, the arms are often shown without the three ash branches, as in the drawing made for the souvenir coaster made in Wales.

Richard Nash was descended from a second son who did not inherit the family estate of Great Nash in Llangwm pariish in Pembrokeshire.  Like his father he made his own way in London.  There is no evidence that he finished his training as a lawyer, as his father had done.  But he plied his own cases before the Court of Chancery in London.  He also sailed on a merchant ship with Sir Francis Drake on the famous but disastrous campaign in Portugal in 1589.

Numerous other references were found by Derek Williams to Richard's work as a mercer, his service in the government of Camarthen, and even his troubled marital relations with his wife, who (he claimed) was alienated from him by the machinations of her brother.


Nash/Naish

I am told that the name Nash is also derived from a place called Naish situated near Bristol.   I live close to Bristol and my Naish ancestors came from this area.  There are several places with the word Naish in them, for instance Naish's Cross, Naish's Street, Naish Road, Naish Lane, and Naish House.

I think these were named after the family, rather than the family being named after them.  I always told the ash tree theory.  Also this is the only part of the world where people pronounce the name correctly, with a silent "i" without being told, which is another indication that the name originates in this area.


Thomas Nash in Stratford

Thomas Nash was the first husband of Shakespeare's granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall.  Nash's house, built beside New Place, is the house where Shakespeare retired and is the least impressive of the properties. However, while Shakespeare's New Place is long gone, Nash's house has survived.  It has the town's only general history exhibit.

Thomas Nash - Immigrant to New Haven

In July 1637, from the ship Hestor, a company landed in Boston, Massachusetts.  They were formed principally by merchants out of London whose wealth and standing at home had enabled them to come out under more favorable auspices than any company that had hitherto sought these shores.  In that company, as is supposed, came Thomas Nash with his wife and five children.  He was by occupation a gunsmith, a trade which admitted to an easy transition to that of blacksmith. 

Nine months later, in March 1638, the whole company sailed from Boston and in about a fortnight landed at a place called Cuinipac, now New Haven.

Thomas Nash is generally mentioned in the records in an affectionate way as Brother Nash and was occasionally appointed to the public duties which were congenial to his declining years.  His home lot, as shown in an old map of New Haven, was on the west side of State Steet, about a third of the way between Chapel and Elm Street.

He died in May 1658.

Beau Nash in Bath


In 1704, Nash became master of ceremonies at the rising spa town of Bath, a position he retained until his death.  He lived in a house on Saw Close, now at the main entrance to the Theatre Royal, and kept a string of matrons.  He played a leading role in making Bath the most fashionable resort of 18th century England.

His position was unofficial, but nevertheless he had extensive influence in the city until 1761.  He would meet new arrivals in the city and judge whether they were suitable to join the select company of 500 to 600 people in the centre of Bath society; match ladies with appropriate dancing partners at each ball; pay the musicians at such events; broker marriages; escort unaccompanied wives; and regulate the gambling that went on.  

He was notable for encouraging a new informality in manners, breaking down the rigid barriers which had previously divided the nobility from the middle class patrons of Bath and even from the gentry.


Patriot Sons, Patriot Brothers

Patriot Sons, Patriot Brothers is the story of a Prince Edward County, Virginia family and two sons who became North Carolina heroes. 

Francis Nash (1742-1777) was a hero of the American Revolution, who gave his life for his country and his name to Nashville, Tennessee and various other Nashvilles elsewhere.  He died on a Pennsylvania battlefield at the age of 35 serving under George Washington while in command of 2,000 men.

Abner Nash (1740-1786) was the First Speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons, second patriot Governor of North Carolina, and member of the Second Continental Congress.  His contributions to the patriot cause during the early years of the revolution and during the southern campaign of 1780-1781 were no less significant than his brother's.

With thoroughly researched detailed notes, an extensive bibliography, and a text that is unparallel in its documentation of the correspondence of the Nash brothers with historical figures of the day, Patriot Sons, Patriot Brothers will be an invaluable addition to your American history collection.


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