Jabez William Ashdown
Jabez William Ashdown (1875-1948) of Messrs. W. Weeks and Son, Ltd
1922 Wh.Ex., M.I.Mech.E. Man. Dir. to W. Weeks and Son, Ltd.; b. 1875; s. of E. Ashdown. Ed. Aske's Haberdashers' Sch., Hatcham, S.E. Training: Goldsmith's Inst., New Cross, S.E. Apprenticed with W. R. Dell and Son, of Croydon, drawing office at Fraser and Chalmers, of Erith. Asst. Manager to W. Weeks and Son, Ltd., of Maidstone, 1897; Gen. Manager and Director, 1905, and Man. Dir., 1920. Clubs: Conservative, Earl Street, and Constitutional Club, West Borough, Maidstone. Address: 4, Chertsey Terrace, Maidstone. T. A.: "Ashdown, Chertsey Terrace, Maidstone." ASHLEY, Herbert, M.I.Mech.E., M.Inst.C.E., Eng. and Gen. Manager, Waterworks Co., Commercial Road, Portsmouth.
1949 Obituary [1]
"JABEZ WILLIAM ASHDOWN, Wh.Ex., was the managing director of Messrs. W. Weeks and Son, Ltd., engineers and mill wrights, of Maidstone, and had been associated with that firm for half a century. He was educated in London at Aske's Hatcham Schools and the Goldsmiths' Institute. On the conclusion of a five years' apprenticeship with Messrs. W. R. Dell and Son, millwrights, of Croydon, in 1895 (in which year he won a Whitworth Exhibition), he served for a brief period in the drawing office of Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers, Ltd., at Erith. He then began his long engineering career with Messrs. Weeks and Son, his first appointment being that of assistant manager. After holding this position for eight years he was promoted to the post of manager, and as such was closely concerned with the execution of various engineering contracts, including those relating to sewerage schemes for public authorities, and more especially with the production of spraying machinery for the cultivation of hops and fruit.
In 1920 he entered upon his final appointment as managing director, which office he continued to hold until the close of his career. Mr. Ashdown's death occurred in London in February 1948. He was elected an Associate Member of the Institution in 1907 and was transferred to Membership in 1910."