Author. William Harrison Ainsworth was born on King Street, Manchester, he was educated at the Manchester Grammar School and, at the age of sixteen, was articled to a solicitor. In 1824 his father died, and he went to London to study at the Inner Temple. In 1826 he married daughter of a publisher who was also the Manager of the Opera House. At his father-in-law's suggestion, Ainsworth went into business as a publisher, but abandoned this career after about eighteen months. Instead, he devoted himself to writing a series of historical novels. The first of these was "Rookwood" (1831), which includes a famous description of Dick Turpin's ride to York on Black Bess. The best known of his other thirty-eight books are "The Tower of London" (1840); "Old St. Paul's" (1841); and "The Flitch of Bacon, or the Custom of Dunmow" (1854). He died at Reigate in Surrey.
Author. William Harrison Ainsworth was born on King Street, Manchester, he was educated at the Manchester Grammar School and, at the age of sixteen, was articled to a solicitor. In 1824 his father died, and he went to London to study at the Inner Temple. In 1826 he married daughter of a publisher who was also the Manager of the Opera House. At his father-in-law's suggestion, Ainsworth went into business as a publisher, but abandoned this career after about eighteen months. Instead, he devoted himself to writing a series of historical novels. The first of these was "Rookwood" (1831), which includes a famous description of Dick Turpin's ride to York on Black Bess. The best known of his other thirty-eight books are "The Tower of London" (1840); "Old St. Paul's" (1841); and "The Flitch of Bacon, or the Custom of Dunmow" (1854). He died at Reigate in Surrey.
Bio by: Iain MacFarlaine
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