History of Test cricket from 1877 to 1883
By 1883, the tradition of England-Australia tours was well established, that year having concluded the first Ashes series. When England lost at home for the first time in 1882, "The Sporting Times" lamented the death of cricket in the mother country and declared that "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia". England captain Ivo Bligh promised that on the tour to Australia in 1882–83 he would regain "the ashes" and the term began to be established. During that tour a small terracotta urn was presented to Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The urn is commonly, but erroneously, believed to be the trophy of the Ashes series, but it has never been formally adopted as such and Bligh always considered it to be a personal gift.
History of English cricket from 1919 to 1939
England were outclassed by Australia in the first two series after the war but, by the middle of the 1920s, they had a team good enough to win and retain the Ashes. Don Bradman dominated the 1930 series and Douglas Jardine used the leg theory stratagem in 1932–33 to try and curb Bradman's massive run-scoring. It worked and England recovered the Ashes, but at enormous cost of cricketing prestige. With leg theory in disgrace, normal cricket resumed in 1934. Australia won back the Ashes and kept them until 1953, though England made a real fight of it in each of the 1934, 1936–37 and 1938 series.