Gordon Ashman, 1935–2003

Abstract

Gordon Ashman and Folklore Studies Gillian Bennett We are sad to announce death of our friend and former colleague Gordon Ashman in August last year. I met Gordon in 1984 at Calendar Customs Conference hosted by Folklore Society and The English Folk Dance and Song Society. At time we were both mature students who had come to folklore after other careers; mine in teaching, his in RAF (he had risen to rank of Squadron Leader). He was then also closely involved with Institute of Industrial Archaeology at Ironbridge, Shropshire, and invited me to take part in a day conference he was organising there as tutor in Heritage Management. A natural joiner, Gordon was soon involved with other projects that were going forward at time. Inspired and organised by Craig Fees and Steve Roud, a group of us had come together as an informal study group that we were later to call, rather grandiosely, the British Folk Studies Forum. By 1986/7 we had some sort of organisational structure, even a membership, occasional weekend meetings, and we were putting out a newsletter and a magazine, Talking Folklore, of which Gordon was one of managing editors. I remember these as times as full of fun, effort, and togetherness: Gordon was involved with all these projects, greatly valued for his social and organisational skills (he was a born organiser and ever courteous, shrewd, and sensible). By 1989 he had joined FLS committee, and was soon minutes secretary. In 1995, however, he was diagnosed with leukaemia and, very wisely, pulled out of his commitments, including FLS committee. He accommodated his disease with courage and commonsense he showed in everything he did, putting what energy he had into his dearest project, West Gallery Music Association. Almost to last he managed to make his body do things that were important or pleasurable to him--singing, cycling, walking, and drawing. Unfortunately he missed last informal weekend gathering of what had been British Folk Studies Forum, held in Wales some three or four years ago, but I was pleased to have worked with him one last time on our life of Shropshire folklorist Charlotte Burne, which was published in Folklore in April 2000. He will be sadly missed. Gordon Ashman and West Gallery Music Association Dave Townsend Gordon's involvement with west gallery music began with his researches into musical traditions around his home in Shropshire. In Vaughan Williams Memorial Library he found some handwritten books compiled in 1830s by John Moore, a seed merchant from Wellington, containing local dance tunes and some items in four-part harmony, intended for church use. …