Jeremy Claude ASHTON

24 November 2022

Jeremy Ashton, born in July 1930, was educated at Winchester School and graduated MA at Trinity College Cambridge in 1956. He was ordained a priest in that year.

For three years from 1957 Jeremy Ashton was a member of the British Territorial Army. He arrived in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as an Anglican missionary in 1960 and was posted to Eroro in the Oro Province the following year. There he presided over a large community of Papuans and expatriates (including his sister Betsy, Australian missionary teachers led by Michael Lean, several English Volunteer Service Overseas people and an Anglican building company called the Oro Builders). He was in the PNGVR in the period 1970–75 and Registrar of the diocese of New Guinea 1970–76. He was consecrated Bishop of the diocese of Aipo Rongo in 1976 where he served for ten years.

Bishop Philip Strong presided at the marriage of Jeremy Ashton and Betty Randall, former headmistress of St Chad’s School, Eroro. They were married for 58 years. Victoria, Isabel and Ralph were their children, Meghan, Mark and Peter Finch their grandchildren.

On retirement from PNG Bishop Jeremy was priest-in-charge of St Martin’s Parish, Deepdene. He was chaplain at St George’s Hospital, Kew and on the Council of the Mission to Seafarers as well as member of the third order of the Anglican Franciscans.

Betty and Jeremy Ashton finally retired to Castlemaine Victoria, where he died on 24 November of last year.David Wetherell