the december 1968 issue of the review carried a brief obituary of professor t. s. ashton (1889-1968) by a. h. john and a flier announcing the intention to establish the prize, initially endowed by mrs ashton with the sum of £500. further donations were sought from ehs members and an initial prize suggested of £50, to be awarded annually. the prize was formally announced in the april 1970 issue of the review. in 1981, the value of the prize was raised to £150, with the intention of making an award every other year. the value was raised to its current value of £750 in 1998.