Who is Mr. and Mrs. Ashton from The Nine Tailors: Changes Rung on an Old Theme in Two Short Touches and Two Full Peals and what is their importance?

Mr. and Mrs. Ashton are an elderly couple living near Will and Mary Thoday. They are kindly and hospitable. They represent the good aspects of the old ways of village life where people made their own bacon and wine and where neighbors helped each other as a matter of course.