Reference

The Ashes . How a 'small but special' urn became the symbol of cricket rivalry between England and Australia. ... captained by the Hon Ivo Bligh [later Lord Darnley], set off to tour Australia, with Bligh vowing to return with "the ashes"; his Australian counterpart, WL Murdoch, similarly vowed to defend them. ... This was first presented to

The Ashes urn is a small urn made of terracotta and standing 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) high, [1] long believed to contain the ashes of a cricket bail or the burnt remains of a lady's veil. [2] [3] It was presented to Ivo Bligh, the captain of the England cricket team, as a personal gift after a friendly match hosted at Rupertswood mansion in Sunbury during the 1882-83 tour in Australia.

The Ashes urn was presented to English captain Ivo Bligh during the 1882/83 tour of Australia. The tiny trophy was pasted with lines of verse to commemorate the occasion.