John Ashley (–1805) was an English musician who was the father of a remarkable family of musicians who flourished towards the end of the eighteenth century. Ashley became a member of the

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a charity in the United Kingdom that supports musicians. It is the oldest music-related charity in Great Britain, founded in 1738 as the ''Fund for Decay'd Musicians'' by a declaration of trust sign ...

on 7 April 1765. At the Handel commemoration in 1784, he was assistant conductor to

Joah Bates Joah Bates ( – 8 June 1799) was an English musician. Life Joah Bates was baptized at the parish church in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax on 8 March 1740 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. (8 March 1741 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S.). ...

. On the same occasion, the

double bassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is consid ...

was played by a 'Mr. Ashley of the Guards', who is sometimes supposed to have been the same individual, but was more probably another member of the family, possibly his brother Jane, who was born in 1740 and died at Westminster on 5 April 1809. John Ashley in 1795 undertook the management of the oratorio concerts at Covent Garden. According to the official book commemorating the 300th anniversary of the

Worshipful Company of Musicians The Worshipful Company of Musicians is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Its history dates back to at least 1350. Originally a specialist guild for musicians, its role became an anachronism in the 18th century, when the centre of ...

, he served as Master in 1804, the year of its bicentenary. He died in

Abingdon Street Abingdon may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire ** Abingdon (UK Parliament constituency) 1558–1983 ** Abingdon railway station (closed) United States * Abingdon, Iowa *Abingdon, Illinois * Abingdon, Maryland *Abin ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, on 2 March 1805, where his wife also died on 22 December 1809, aged 75. Richard Ashley (1775 – 1836), one of John Ashley's sons, was a performer on the violin, but he does not seem to have made any mark as a musician. He became a member of the Royal Society of Musicians 17 April 1796, and died in October 1836. He was also the father of

Charles Jane Ashley Charles Jane Ashley (1773 – 29 August 1843) was an English cellist. Ashley was born in London, the third son of musician John Ashley. He was a performer on the violoncello, and also for some time carried on the Covent Garden oratorios with his ...

, General Charles Ashley, and John James Ashley.

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