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"The Ashford family is among the world's first and finest. My grandfather is one of the original founders of Umbrella Inc."
— Alfred to Claire at Rockfort Island.[3]

Alfred Ashford, 7th Earl Ashford (アルフレッド・アシュフォード Arufureddo Ashufōdo?), otherwise referred to as Lord Ashford, was a British nobleman and governor of Rockfort Island. He was the son of Veronica Ashford, 1st Countess Ashford, born through genetic engineering along with his sister, Alexia. Legally, however, the two were the children of the geneticist Dr. Alexander Ashford, 6th Earl Ashford. Lord Ashford was the final governor of Rockfort Island, having overseen the exodus of the islanders and installation of a prison camp for enemies of the Umbrella Corporation. He died soon after the island fell to a t-Virus outbreak orchestrated by an Umbrella rival group.[4][excerpt 1]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Ashford Family by mjor

The Ashford Family.

Alfred was born in 1971, the result of a three-year genetics project to create a child with genes relating to intelligence. The project, led by his cousin, Alexander, aimed to create a surrogate child who would continue the virology research led by his father, Edward, as part of a wider plan to ensure Ashford influence within Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, and deny total control of the company to their rival, Dr. Oswell E. Spencer, Earl Spencer. Though a clone of Alexander's great-great-grandmother, an anomaly during the procedure led to cloned zygote splitting, with one developing male attributes in spite of its origins.[5] The twins were christened Alfred and Alexia and were legally recognized as Alexander's children, while the project was kept an absolute secret between Alexander and his father.

T-Veronica Project[]

Alfred10

Alfred and Alexia when young just before they discovered their real origins.

From birth, the twins were immediately divided based on their intelligence, with Alfred grew up idolising Alexia. While he was found to have higher than average intellect, his sister was determined to be a genius, and thus her education was given the upmost priority, allowing her to graduate university at the age of ten. The two would then live together in the Antarctic Base, where Alexia was to conduct her t-Virus research in a project dubbed "t-Veronica". In early 1983, the two children discovered the truth about their origins after gaining access to Alexander's lab. Disgusted by this fact, the two forced him to take part in a human trial of t-Veronica, and then left him sealed in a hidden compartment beneath the facility director's office. Soon after, Alexia found out how to properly control the viral corruption, but the process involved fifteen years in cryostasis.[6]

Seeing no other choice but to go ahead and complete her mad dream of godhood, she had Alfred seal her in the desired stasis. Ultimately, Alexander and Alexia were officially considered dead by the public, though no bodies were produced, and Alfred legally gained the title of 7th Earl.

Head of the Ashford Family and Umbrella career[]

Alfred Ashford 3

Alfred's portrait as the 7th Earl Ashford.

Without a family at the age of twelve, the new Lord Ashford was left to continue his family's legacy alone.[7] Driven by this, he overcame his grief and was able to graduate from a respectable English university in 1993,[8][9] Lord Ashford entered employment with the Umbrella Corporation as the other Ashfords had done. Through the weight of his family name, he earned a number of jobs within the company which, while senior, were largely irrelevant in the company politics.[7]

Alongside the position of Director of the Antarctic Base, he took full advantage of his inherited governorship of Rockfort Island. By the following year, the Hispanic settler population was driven out to give space for the construction of a concentration camp for Umbrella enemies,[8] a boot camp for anti-B.O.W. training,[8] and a private residence on the other side of a valley, where he hoped to live with Alexia one day. Having been given full control over these facilities, Lord Ashford chose to ignore the Antarctic Base and built up a dictatorial rule on Rockfort.

Ruler of the Rockfort Island[]

Crossdress

Alfred disguised as Alexia after mentally breaking during his government on Rockfort Island.

Still affected by the loss of his sister, Lord Ashford's mental health shattered, creating a dual personality: one that remained the insane Alfred Ashford, and another figment took over his memories of Alexia, creating a new personality closely resembling her. Due to the fact he remained oblivious as to the truth of Alexia's apparent return, he lived alone in his house on Rockfort Island, often allowing the Alexia fragment to take complete control above his body, dressing up like her and speaking in her voice, something which confused those who saw him from afar. There, he, or the fraction of his mind that represented Alfred, had long conversations with the Alexia shard, and developed militaristic tendencies and a massive ego, as his mind further eroded.[7][excerpt 2] Also due to his neurosis, while Alfred was posing as Alexia, he invented the person Tanya, as a way to mask who he was waiting for the moment to awaken from cryogenic stasis.[10][11]

In his time as governor of Rockfort Island and Commander-in-Chief of its base, Lord Ashford enforced harsh measures on the prisoners, and people were violently tortured and executed seemingly at random.[7][9][excerpt 3] He did not act on impulses directly, however, and instead hired the prison camp's schizophrenic anatomist to perform ritualistic torture on, providing him with drugs to use.[12] A bridge was constructed that would allow him to directly cross over from the governor's official residence to his private residence in 1994, and the entire workforce was subsequently executed to silence them.[13] His secretary, Robert Dawson, was sent to the prison camp after spotting him dressed as Alexia.[14]

As Ashford's career continued, his mental state became evermore-so erratic even taking his iron fist into account. His management of the Antarctic Base was of total neglect, and had earned the ire of his workers at the transport terminal, who were repeatedly denied vacation time while perpetually behind in deliveries.[15] These delays led to global shortages of various chemicals in 1998, which were directly blamed on Ashford.[16] From the middle of 1998, Umbrella HQ became aware of an apparent H.C.F. spy ring on Rockfort Island, and determined that the source of research leaks held a prominent role on the island. Believing an attack on the island was imminent, a T-078 Tyrant was shipped over with the intent on using it against attackers.[17][18]

Demise[]

Claire taking cover

Ashford hunting Claire Redfield in the main mansion during the Rockford Island outbreak.

In December 1998, H.C.F. finally attacked Rockfort Island, with their operative within the military training camp detonating an explosive in its lab, leading to the ε strain escaping as an airborne pathogen. As with the Mansion Incident, this t-Virus strain quickly returned to its normal method of transmission after infecting a number of people. Those not killed by the carpet bombing or by H.C.F. found themselves infected or killed by their own men. Ashford escaped the disaster and armed himself with a sniper rifle for protection. He incorrectly determined one of the spies to be Claire Redfield, a prisoner newly transferred to the base, and made several attempts on her life.[3] Switching between his Alfred and Alexia personas, he led Redfield and fellow survivor Steve Burnside to think for a time they were two people.[19][20] After a confrontation at the private residence, Ashford departed back to the training camp, where he set off the auto-destruct for the island facilities, unleashed the T-078 Tyrant to take out survivors, and fled in his personal Harrier jet to the Antarctic Base.[21][22]

Alfred and Alexia awake 2

Alfred before Alexia after waking her up.

However, upon arriving at the site, Lord Ashford found that the facility was overtaken by zombies that escaped from the planes that had evacuated from Rockfort Island after the HCF attack, what made him take shelter in his office. Sources differ as to how Ashford died after reaching Antarctic Base; in one account, he found Redfield and Burnside there and once again tried to kill them, but was shot and fell down a pit, from where he dragged himself to the cryogenics laboratory where his sister Alexia was and freed her, ultimately dying in her arms due to the severity of his injuries.[23][24] If that account is true, Alfred's body would be stored in the same capsule where Alexia had hibernated, only for it to be discovered by Chris Redfield upon his future exploration of the base and his ring was then used to unlock a secret door to Alexander's lab.[25] Already another account suggests that Alfred was strangled to death by his own sister shortly after he freed her, as punishment for being late in awakening her.[26][27] Whatever happened, in both accounts, Alfred died shortly after his sister was awakened from her confinement.

Family tree of the Ashford dynasty[]

 
 
Unknown parent
 
Veronica
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stanley
 
 
Alexia
(modified clone)
 
 
Alfred
(modified clone)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thomas
 
Arthur
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Edward
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alexander
 
 



Bibliography[]

Sources[]

excerpts
  1. Excerpt from BIOHAZARD THE DARKSIDE CHRONICLES official website:
    ロックフォート島の最高司令官で、アンブレラ設立に貢献したアシュフォード家の血筋を引く。残忍な独裁者。
    "Supreme commander of Rockfort Island, a descendant of the Ashford family who contributed to the establishment of Umbrella. A cruel dictator."
  2. Excerpt from BIOHAZARD CODE: Veronica Kanzenban Kaitai Shinsho, p. 10:
    "ロックフォート島に置かれたアンブレラ基地の若き司令官。由緒正しき貴族であるアシュフォード家の直系で、 父が謎の失踪をとげたのを受け、 まだ少年のときに同家の七化目当主の座に着いた。祖父はアンブレラ社設立メンバ一として輝かしい功績を残したが、 父の代で家は没落。アンブレラの一将校として辺境の地に追いやられることになった。自分の生まれを過度に誇るあまり、 この現状に不満を抱、 アシュフォード家にかつての栄光を取りもどさんと並々ならぬ意欲を燃やしている。 容姿こそ端正だが、 言動の端々からわかるとおり精神的に破綻したところがあり、 その不安定な心はしばしば囚人への残虐行為といった形で表面化している。 一方でアレクシアという名の双子の妹を溺愛し、 基地から離れた高台の私邸にて彼女とふたりきりで暮らしているというが、 彼らの私生活を知る者はいない。"
  3. Excerpt from BIOHAZARD CODE: Veronica Kanzenban Kaitai Shinsho, p. 220:
    また、同時期に進められた刑務所建設にも、 彼の私情がからんでいる。|また、同時期に進められた刑務所建設にも、 彼の私情がからんでいる。
references
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 バイオハザード コード:ベロニカ 完全版 (Japanese). Capcom. Archived from the original on 2003-08-05. Retrieved on 2023-02-27.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Resident Evil Archives. BradyGames. p. 133. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "Through the scope".
  4. CAPCOM:バイオハザード / ダークサイド・クロニクルズ 公式サイト (Japanese). Capcom. Archived from the original on 2009-12-24. Retrieved on 2023-02-27.
  5. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Veronica Report".
  6. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Alfred's Diary".
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 (in Japanese) BIOHAZARD CODE: Veronica Kanzenban Kaitai Shinsho. Enterbrain. p. 10. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009), file: "Alfred Ashford".
  9. 9.0 9.1 (in Japanese) BIOHAZARD CODE: Veronica Kanzenban Kaitai Shinsho. Enterbrain. p. 220. 
  10. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009), file: "Alfred and Alexia 1".
  11. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009), file: "Alfred and Alexia 2".
  12. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Anatomist's Note".
  13. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Secret Passage Note".
  14. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Secretary's Note".
  15. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Worker's Diary".
  16. Resident Evil 2 (N64 version) (1999), file: "Umbrella Memo".
  17. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), file: "Hunk's Report".
  18. Resident Evil Survivor 2 CODE:Veronica (2001), file: "A letter sent to the commander of the Lock Fort Island from an inspector of Umbrella.".
  19. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "One-man Show".
  20. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "Not Alexia".
  21. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "Alfred releases the tyrant".
  22. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "Alfred escapes the island".
  23. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "You Think You're Safe Now?".
  24. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), scene: "The Ending of the Beginning".
  25. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000), room: "Alexia's laboratory".
  26. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009), scene: "Awakening".
  27. Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009), scene: "Queen".
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