Wade drew level with Ashton nine minutes into the second half at a blustery Kingston Park when, after good approach play, he sprinted in at the right corner.
The haul is a testament to Wade's enduring speed, elusive running and sheer endurance - it is more than 15 years since he scored his first try in English rugby union's top flight for Wasps.
"In terms of what he brings on the field, he's got the dancing feet, he's got the speed and he's got a danger out there that has to be marked," Newcastle boss Dan McFarland told the BBC after Wade completed his century of tries with a hat-trick against Exeter earlier this month.
While the now-retired Ashton won 44 England caps, Wade, the only other man to have scored a century of Prem tries, has just one.
It is a meagre return for one of the outstanding finishers of his generation, even allowing for the fact that wing has been a highly competitive England position during the 35-year-old Wade's career.
Rugby prides itself on being a sport for all shapes and sizes, but Wade, who is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 metres) tall, has played at a time when the English game has often preferred tall wings, even though the diminutive Cheslin Kolbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey have thrived for South Africa and France.