[1] Ashton was born on the Isle of Man, grew up in York and was educated at the Blue Coat School, London.

He visited England in 1894, studied under Henry Moore, R.A. for three months, and was elected a member of the Royal Society of Arts.

Among his pupils were Ivor Hele, Hans Heysen, Hayley Lever, Frank White, Arthur Baker-Clack, his son Will Ashton, and others who have since done distinguished work.

His son, Sir John William Ashton,[1] became a well-known artist and was appointed director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney in 1936.

Ashton is represented by five pictures in the Art Gallery of South Australia, of which The Moon Enchanted Sea is the best known.