Ashley, Maurice on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Maurice Percy Ashley (4 September 1907 – 26 September 1994) was a British historian of the 17th Century and editor of '' The Listener''. He published over thirty books, of which his ''Financial and Commercial Policy Under the Commonwealth Protectorate'' (1934) achieved wide academic influence, while his biographies ''Cromwell'' (1937) and ''General Monck'' (1976) received particular praise."Maurice Ashley Obituary". ''
"Obituary: Maurice Ashley"
''
's weekly publication, '' The Listener'', as Deputy Editor and was appointed Editor in 1958, in which job he remained until retiring in 1967. He broadened the range of the journal, which had been a vehicle for the text of selected broadcasts and criticism of radio and then television programmes. Under Ashley, ''The Listeners book reviews played a leading role in killing off the 19th-century tradition of anonymous reviewing.
Among a number of books, Ashley's publications in this period included his ''The Greatness of Oliver Cromwell'' (1957), a substantial revision of his earlier view of Cromwell, and ''The Glorious Revolution of 1688'' (1966). After retiring from ''The Listener'', the rate of his publications increased, helped by a two-year research fellowship at Loughborough University. This period saw the publication of his studies of Charles II, James II, Prince Rupert, and his ''General Monck'' (1977), regarded as one of his best books. His last book, ''The Battle of Naseby and the Fall of King Charles I'' (1992), appeared when he was 85.
He died on 26th September, 1994 and was buried in a family grave in The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'', 1 October 1994.
Background and education
Ashley was educated at St Paul's School and New College, Oxford, where he won the Stanhope Essay Prize (1928, 'Republicanism in the reign of Charles II') and the Gladstone Memorial (1930, 'The rise of Latitudinarianism in the Church of England'), and achievedfirst-class honours
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
in Modern History in 1929. He went on to take a DPhil
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
, studying under David Ogg
David Ogg (born 23 November 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Ogg was a half forward flanker in the Swan Districts team which won the 1990 WASFL Grand Fin ...
, and it was his doctoral thesis that became ''Financial and Commercial Policy Under the Commonwealth Protectorate''.Woolrych, Austin"Obituary: Maurice Ashley"
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 4 October 1994. Retrieved 2010-08-17. Ashley's father worked as an official at the Board of Trade.Gilbert, Martin. ''In Search of Churchill'' (1994), p.137-9.
Career
In 1929 he was appointed literary assistant toWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
, who had just begun work on his biography '' Marlborough: His Life and Times''. Ashley provided Churchill with original material from archives in Britain and Europe,Gilbert, Martin. ''Churchill, A Life'' (1991), p.491. earning £300 a year for this half-time employment.Jenkins, Roy. ''Churchill'' (2001). Although he was unimpressed by Ashley's socialistic views, Churchill praised his "competence and industry as an historical investigator". Ashley later wrote ''Churchill as Historian'' (1968), a perceptive analysis of Churchill's methods.
Ashley's career as a journalist began when he joined the staff of the '' Manchester Guardian'' as a leader writer in 1933, moving to ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' in 1937 as a foreign sub-editor. He continued to write, publishing ''Oliver Cromwell: the Conservative Dictator'' in 1937 and his own short book on Marlborough
Marlborough may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Marlborough, Wiltshire, England
** Marlborough College, public school
* Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England
* The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England
Austral ...
in 1939. He was briefly editor of ''Britain Today'' in 1939-40 but in 1940 enlisted in the Grenadier Guards
"Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it."
, colors =
, colors_label =
, march = Slow: " Scipio"
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment ...
, later being transferred to the Intelligence Corps. By 1945 he had achieved the rank of major.
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he joined the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
.
Awards
Ashley was awarded aCBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 1978 and a DLitt
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
from Oxford in 1979. He was President of the Cromwell Association from 1961 to 1977.
Personal life
He married twice, first in 1935 to Phyllis Mary Griffiths, with whom he had a son and a daughter, and second in 1988 to Patricia Entract.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Maurice 20th-century British writers 1994 deaths 1907 births Burials at Highgate Cemetery Academics of Loughborough University Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at St Paul's School, London Alumni of New College, Oxford