Richard Godfrey Ashley (8 September 1774 – 11 October 1836) was an English musician, and a son of John Ashley.

Early life

Ashley was the fourth son of John Ashley, a conductor and

bassoonist The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

who became the father of a notable family of musicians (

General Charles Ashley General Charles Ashley (c. 1770 – 21 August 1818) was an English musician. Life Ashley was the eldest son of John Ashley, who obtained some celebrity as a violinist, and a brother of Richard Ashley, Charles Jane Ashley, and John James Ashley ...

John James Ashley John James Ashley (1772–1815), was a musician in London. Ashley was the second son of John Ashley and a brother of Richard Ashley, Charles Jane Ashley, and General Charles Ashley. A pupil of Schroeter, he was for several years organist at ...

, and

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 ...

), and his wife, Mary (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Jane). He was born on 8 September 1774, in the parish of

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's, Hanover Square, Church of St George's, Hanover Square, ...

, London, and baptised in the parish church on 10 September. At 9 years old, Ashley was already performing, participating in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

's 1784 Handel Commemoration and performing at

the Pantheon The Pantheon (, ; ,Although the spelling ''Pantheon'' is standard in English, only ''Pantheum'' is found in classical Latin; see, for example, Pliny, ''Natural History (Pliny), Natural History'36.38 "Agrippas Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Athen ...

in May and June of the same year.

Career

As of Joseph Doane's ''Musical Directory'' (1794), at age 20, Ashley was living at his father's house. At this time, he was employed as a drummer for the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

oratorios An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishabl ...

, where he worked alongside his family. The

Royal Society of Musicians The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain is a Charitable organization, 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 ...

also made him one of the musicians to play at the annual

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

benefit concert, an honour usually reserved for members of the Society. His father proposed him as a member the following year, a proposal which was ratified in 1796, certifying Ashley as a qualified

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

, violist, and player of kettledrums. He continued to play at this concert from 1795 to 1805, gaining the right to send a deputy in his place in 1806. At several dates in the 1810s, he served on the Society's

Court of Assistants A court of assistants is a council of members belonging to a professional, trade, craft or livery companies. The term originated among the London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest ci ...

. Ashley enjoyed what one ''Biographical Dictionary'' called "a long orchestral and solo concert career". From 1798, he performed in

Ranelagh Gardens Ranelagh Gardens (; alternative spellings include Ranelegh and Ranleigh, the latter reflecting the English pronunciation) were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England, in the 18th century. History The R ...

, under his father's influence. He also performed under his elder brother,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, at the Royal Opera House's oratorios. As of his father's death in 1805, Ashley was apparently in "a better situation than either of his brothers were placed in", according to the will. In 1817, he was part of the King's Theatre Band. According to the ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', "throughout his life he was in demand at major festivals"; it lists him as leading the violas at the Three Choirs festival in 1811, Oxford in 1813, York in 1823, and Chester in 1829. On 8 October 1800, Ashley became a freeman 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 ...

, and, on 7 July 1802, entered the Company's

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

Personal life

At age 42, on 1 April 1816, Ashley married the "

spinster Spinster or old maid is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term origin ...

", Elizabeth Palmer, at St George Hanover Square. He died on 11 October 1836 at his home of Park Place, Chelsea, having signed his will the previous day. His obituary was published in that year's volume of the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term '' ...

''. Elizabeth survived her husband, receiving a widow's allowance of £2 12s 6d by 1837. Later that year, the Society donated £5 for the treatment of Elizabeth's

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

, and Elizabeth was dead by 9 January 1839, when £8 was spent on the funeral of "the widow of the late Richard Ashley".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Richard 1774 births 1836 deaths 18th-century English musicians 19th-century English musicians Members of the Royal Society of Musicians