AINSWORTH, William Harrison (elder son of Thomas Ainsworth of Manchester, solicitor 1778–1824, by Ann Harrison 1778–1842 eld. dau. of Rev. Ralph Harrison of Manchester, Presbyterian minister). b. King st. Manchester 4 Feb. 1805; ed. at the free gr. sch. 1817–22; articled 1821 to Alexander Kay of Manchester, solicitor; a publisher in London 1826–27; edited Bentley’s Miscellany, March 1839 to Dec. 1841; author of Jack Sheppard, 3 vols. 1839 which was produced in dramatic form simultaneously, at Adelphi, Queen’s, Sadler’s Wells, Victoria and Pavilion theatres in London, Oct. 1839; received £1000 from the ‘Sunday Times’ for ‘Old St. Paul’s’ 1841, and another £1000 for the ‘Lancashire Witches’ 1848; edited Ainsworth’s Magazine, Feb. 1842 to 1854; purchased New monthly magazine from Henry Colburn 1845; purchased Bentley’s Miscellany 1854 and combined with it Ainsworth’s Magazine, Jany. 1855; gave the flitch of bacon at Dunmow in Essex 19 July 1855 and 25 July 1857; granted a civil list pension of £100 a year 10 Dec. 1868; entertained at a banquet in the town hall, Manchester by the mayor, Thomas Baker 15 Sep. 1881; lived at the Elms, Kilburn; at Kensal manor house; at Brighton; at Tunbridge Wells; at Reigate. (m. 11 Oct. 1826 Anne Frances younger dau. of John Ebers of John st. London, publisher, she d. 6 March 1838). d. St. Mary’s road, Reigate 3 Jany. 1882. bur. Kensal Green cemetery 9 Jany. Manchester quarterly, i, 136–55 (1882) portrait; Maclise portrait gallery (1883) 256–62, portrait; J. H. Friswell’s Modern men of letters (1870) 257–72; Illustrated Review, ii, 321–23 (1872) portrait; Horne’s New spirit of the age, ii, 215–22 (1844).
Note.—His novel Mervyn Clitheroe is autobiographical; in March 1878 he presented a life size portrait of himself, painted by H. W. Pickersgill, about 1841 to the Chetham Library Manchester; the best portrait of him is the figure in the vignette by Cruikshank, which forms the standing title to monthly editorial gossip in early numbers of Ainsworth’s magazine. He was caricatured unmercifully by Thackeray in Punch. His books and the MSS. of 18 of his novels were sold by Sotheby in London for £463, 21–22 Aug. 1882. He was the author of upwards of 40 works of fiction.
AIRD, David Mitchell. Compositor at The Sun newspaper office, London; started a bimonthly magazine called The Student which lasted 6 months; edited The Mirror 1843; printed for the Countess de Brunetiere Tallien the first daily French paper published in England 1851 which failed; barrister M.T. 11 June 1867; wrote several books under pseudonym of Pamphilius. d. 2 Sussex gardens, Hyde park, London 15 June 1876. Head and Heart legacy by Pamphilius 1861, portrait.
AIRD, Thomas (2 child of James Aird of Bowden, Roxburghshire, portioner or farmer who d. aged 86, by Isabella Paisley, she d. aged 86) b. Bowden 28 Aug. 1802; ed. there, at Melrose and at Univ. of Edinburgh; edited Edinburgh Weekly Journal 1833; Dumfriesshire and Galloway herald at Dumfries 1835–63; presided at Scott centenary at Dumfries 9 Aug. 1871; author of The old bachelor in the Scottish village 1845; Poetical works 1848, 5 ed. 1878; contributed poetry and prose to Blackwood’s Magazine, d. Dumfries 25 April 1876. bur. near Robert Burns in St. Michael’s churchyard 1 May. Poetical works of T. Aird with a memoir by Rev. J. Wallace, 5 ed. 1878, portrait.
AIREY, Richard Airey, 1 Baron, b. Newcastle April 1803; ed. at Sandhurst; ensign 34 foot 15 March 1821; lieut. col. 10 Feb. 1838 to 12 Feb. 1847 when placed on half pay; military sec. to commander in chief 1 Oct. 1852 to 17 April 1854; quartermaster general in the Crimea 1 Sep. 1854 to Nov. 1855; quartermaster general of the forces 26 Dec. 1855 to 31 Oct. 1865; governor and commander in chief at Gibraltar 10 Nov. 1856 to 4 Sep. 1870; col. 17 foot 20 July 1860 to 1 May 1868; col. 7 foot 1 May 1868 to death; adjutant general 1 Oct. 1870 to 31 Oct. 1876; general 9 April 1871; pres. of commission of inquiry into results of new short service system 1879; K.C.B. 5 July 1855, G.C.B. 13 March 1867; created Baron Airey of Killingworth, Northumberland 29 Nov. 1876. d. the Grange, Leatherhead 13 Sep. 1881. bur. Kensal Green cemetery 17 Sep. A. W. Kinglake’s History of the war in the Crimea (1863–75); Sir A. M. Tulloch’s The Crimean commission 1881; I.L.N. lxix, 500, (1876), portrait.
AIRLIE, David Graham Drummond, 5 or 7 Earl of. b. London 4 May 1826; succeeded 20 Aug. 1849; a representative peer for Scotland 18 March 1850 to death; F.R.G.S. 1859; K.T. 12 March 1862; high comr. to general assembly of Church of Scotland 1872–73. d. at an hotel in Denver city, Colorado 25 Sep. 1881. bur. Cortachy, Forfarshire 3 Nov.
AITCHISON, George. b. Leyton, Essex 21 Dec. 1792; student at Royal academy; clerk of the works to St. Katherine’s dock company 1827, docks were opened 25 Oct. 1828; A.I.C.E. 1828; district surveyor of Woolwich 1844. d. Muscovy court, Trinity square, London 12 June 1861. Minutes of proc. of Instit. of C.E. xxi, 569–71 (1862).
AITCHISON, Sir John (3 son of Wm. Aitchison of Drummore, East Lothian, by Jane eld. dau. of James Mylne of Langridge, East Lothian). b. 1789; ensign Scots fusilier guards 25 Oct. 1805; lieut. col. 11 Aug. 1837 to 23 Nov. 1841; commanded Mysore division of Madras army 2 June 1845 to 1851; col. 72 foot 29 Dec. 1851 to 27 Aug. 1870; general 30 July 1860; col. Scots fusilier guards 27 Aug. 1870 to death; K.C.B. 21 June 1859; G.C.B. 13 March 1867. (m. 31 Oct. 1857 Ellen Elizabeth youngest dau. of Thomas Mayhew of Fairfield house, Suffolk). d. 4 Devonshire place, London 13 May 1875.
AITKEN, David. Educ. high school and univ. of Edinburgh; D.D. 8 July 1843; licensed by presbytery of Edin. 28 March 1821; minister of parish of Minto 14 Sep. 1827 to 16 Nov. 1864; lived in Edin. 1866 to death; corresponded with Georg Hegel the German philosopher; offered chair of church history in univ. of Edin. 1843; wrote an article on German literature in Edinb. Review, xlvi, 304–51 (1827); F.R.S. Edin. 1868. d. Charlotte square, Edin. 27 March 1875.
AITKEN, John. Member of Manchester geological society 1863, pres. twice; author of part of Thomas Newbigging’s History of the forest of Rossendale 1868, and of many papers in geological periodicals. d. Clifton villas, Urmston 29 July 1884 aged 64.