Daily AncestorAscension Day
Ascension Day is the Thursday 39 days after Easter Sunday (the fortieth day, counting Easter itself), so its date moves each year.
Ascension Day marks the Ascension of Jesus and is traditionally kept on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter counted inclusively. It falls ten days before Whitsun.
When a register or diary gives Ascension Day as a date, look up Easter for that year and count forward. It is sometimes called Holy Thursday, which can also mean the Thursday before Easter, so check the context.
As seen in a recordBaptism entry in a parish register
Bapt. on Ascension Day, 1760
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Daily Ancestor. "Ascension Day." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/dates-calendar/ascension-day. Last checked 2026-10-01.