The area around the town of Ashton has produced evidence of Stone and Bronze Age activity but it is generally thought to have developed from a fortification on the North bank of the River Tame.

This fortification stood at a prime position overlooking the River Tame which formed a boundary between the Kingdoms of Northumberland and Mercia during the Anglo-Saxon era around the 7th Century.

Over the centuries, the settlement developed into a village and then a market town. The surrounding hills supported sheep and the cottage industry of wool spinning, whilst the damp climate also supported the spinning of cotton.

A small amount of coal mining took place, and the eventual construction of canals and the introduction of the railways enhanced the area’s viability as a commercial entity.