ABSTRACT
William James Ashley was one of the founders of the study of English economic history. The son of a journeyman hatter, he was the eldest son of a large family. He grew up in the religious and political tradition of dissent, and was educated at dissenting schools, notably St Olaves.(l) In 1877, he made a preliminary attempt at the Brackenbury History Scholarship at Balliol, but was unsuccessful. After extensive coaching the following year from T F Tout and S K Gardiner he won the scholarship and studied constitutional history under Stubbs and graduated in 1881 with a first in history.(2) Thereupon he established himself as a private tutor and began a more serious study of economics and economic history.
