James Henry Ashton

James Henry Ashton (1819 – 17 January 1889)^[1] was a circus proprietor in Australia. He founded Ashton's Circus which is still operated by his descendants.^[2]

James Henry Ashton, 1864

He travelled the Australian colonies for at least 40 years.

Headstone for Ashton in Gladstone Cemetery

On 17 January 1889, while on tour, he died at the Metropolitan Hotel in Gladstone, Queensland and was buried in Gladstone cemetery.^[1][3][4][5]

The circus has been passed down from generation to generation and, as at April 2020, the 7th generations of the Ashton family are still performing circus and cabaret shows.^[2][6]

References

1. "Country Mails". The Brisbane Courier. Queensland, Australia. 31 January 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 29 April 2020 – via Trove.
2. Cunneen, Chris, "Ashton, James Henry (1819–1889)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 29 April 2020
3. "Gladstone". Warwick Argus. Queensland, Australia. 19 January 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 29 April 2020 – via Trove.
4. "Local and General". Western Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 26 January 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 29 April 2020 – via Trove.
5. "Notes and News". The Western Champion. Queensland, Australia. 29 January 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 29 April 2020 – via Trove.
6. "About Ashton Circus". Ashton Entertainment. Retrieved 29 April 2020.

Further reading

• Cannon, Judy; St. Leon, Mark, 1952- (1997), Take a drum and beat it : the story of the astonishing Ashtons, 1848-1990s, Tytherleigh Press, ISBN 978-0-646-32334-3{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)