Ancestry

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=90 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="044785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>old ashmoleans rugby</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="old ashmoleans rugby"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Ancestry</B>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="History"><U>History</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Location"><U>Location</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fixtures"><U>Fixtures</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U>Events</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Profiles"><U>Profiles</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id168.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Training"><U>Training</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shop"><U>Shop</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Links"><U> Links</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Facilities"><U>Facilities</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id167.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Games"><U>Games</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Galleries"><U>Galleries</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ads."><U>Ads.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id170.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Guest Book"><U>Guest Book</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id237.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Subs/Gifts"><U>Subs/Gifts</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id243.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Points Scorers"><U>Points Scorers</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Ancestry</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="627" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1249 WIDTH="623"><div> <B>Elias Ashmole</B></div> <div> <B>(1617-1692)</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="26096d00.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="208" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Elias Ashmole, the antiquary, was born in 1617 in Lichfield. At school he showed promise in several scholarly fields and in music.</B></div> <div> <B>In the years leading up to the English Civil War he worked in London as a lawyer, but soon after the outbreak of war he moved to Oxford. Whilst here he began his passionate interest in astrology and other magical studies. After returning to London in 1646 he added botany, alchemy, anatomy, logic and medicine to his varied list of interests.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>With the help of his 2nd wife's wealth, he formed an important collection of astrological, medical and historical manuscripts. His collection was enormously enriched in 1659 when the famous botanist, John Tradescant, presented his natural history specimens to Ashmole.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>It is recorded that he was the first ever mason and he conducted research into the Order of the Garter. In 1672 this led to the publication of his most famous work, 'The Institutions, Laws and Ceremonies of the Most Noble Order of the Garter'.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Despite his attachment to magic, he was a founder member of the Royal Society, a group dedicated to practical scientific research.</B></div> <div> <B>In 1675 Ashmole began to make arrangements for his scholarly collection to be handed over to Oxford University, where it was to be housed in a special museum. This building - now known as the Old Ashmolean -was completed in 1683, the first public museum in the British Isles. As befitted a man with Ashmoles' intense curiosity, it was also to be a centre for scientific research and remained so for over a century and a half.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Ashmole did not forget his native city; as well as charitable gifts, he gave several music manuscripts to the Cathedral, and a beautiful silver drinking vessel to the city, the Ashmole Cup, which can still be seen in the Treasury in the Lichfield Heritage Centre.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>CLUB BADGE</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="27c55790.jpg" border=0 width="85" height="121" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>The "CADECUS'' </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>     ( Snakes wrapped around a winged </B><B>staff ) </B></div> <div> <B>     is the connection between Elias Ashmole and his </B></div> <div> <B>     medical interests. </B></div> <div> <B>     The inverted "V'' is the first letter in the Greek alphabet </B></div> <div> <B>     and represents beginning. It probably indicates that </B></div> <div> <B>                       Ashmole was the first ever recorded mason or that he </B></div> <div> <B>                       as a pioneer in many of his fields.</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>