T. S. Ashton

Who was T. S. Ashton?

Thomas Southcliffe Ashton was an English economic historian. He was professor of economic history at the London School of Economics at the University of London from 1944 until 1954, and Emeritus Professor until his death in 1968. His best known work is The Industrial Revolution, which put forth a positive view on the benefits of this era.

He donated money to provide the T. S. Ashton Prize, an annual award from the Economic History Society. The prize is currently £750 and is awarded at every other annual conference to the author of the best article accepted for publication in the Economic History Review in the previous two calendar years.

Following a BBC Freedom of Information request in January 2012, it was revealed that Ashton turned down a knighthood in 1957.