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.
AITKEN, REV. ROBERT (_son of Robert Aitken_). _b._ Crailing near Jedburgh 22 Jany. 1800; a schoolmaster in Sunderland; ordained deacon by Bishop Van Mildert 1823; minister of Wesleyan Zion chapel, Waterloo road, Liverpool to 20 Dec. 1840; C. of Perranuthnoe, Cornwall 1842–44; domestic chaplain to Earl of Caithness 1844–64; minister of Episcopalian church, Coatbridge about Oct. 1847 to 1848 or 1849; V. of Pendeen, Cornwall 1849 to death; the church, of which he was the architect, was built for him by his parishioners 1854; domestic chaplain to Earl of Seafield 1864 to death; well known throughout England as a preacher of almost unrivalled fervour; author of many sermons and pamphlets. _d._ on platform of Great Western railway station, Paddington 11 July 1873. _bur._ Pendeen 18 July. _Boase and Courtney’s Bibliotheca Cornubiensis i_, 2 _and iii_, 1025; _John Smith’s Our Scottish clergy 2 Series_ 80–87 (1849); _Church Times 6 Aug. to 24 Sep. 1875_.
AITKEN, ROBERT DICKSON. _b._ Hawick, Roxburghshire 8 May 1801; a gardener, then a horsebreaker; left Hawick 1857; purchased estate of Reston Mains, Berwickshire, worth many thousands; tried in the sheriff court at Greenlaw 31 May 1860, for making people of Dunse believe he was heir to a large estate, when found guilty and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment with hard labour; his career was dramatised by George Duckenfield, theatrical manager; he played the chief part in this drama at Berwick and other border towns; delivered a lecture in Hawick 31 May 1864 entitled “How I did the Dunse dunces.” _d._ the poor house, Hawick 30 April 1879.
AITKEN, WILLIAM. _b._ Dunbar 1814; kept a school at Ashton-under-Lyne; went to the United States 1842; grand master of the Odd-fellows there 1846; author of _A journey up the Mississipi river_; and of articles in the _Quarterly magazine of Odd-fellows_; committed suicide at Ashton 27 Sep. 1869. _Quarterly magazine of Odd-fellows i_, 129–32 (1858) _portrait_.
AITKEN, WILLIAM COSTEN. _b._ Dumfries 3 March 1817; worked for R. W. Winfield of Birmingham, brassfounder 1844–64; took out a patent for ornamenting cornice poles, &c. with porcelain or glass which was much used; manager at Skidmore’s Art manufacturing company, Coventry, retired 1872; chief organiser of Industrial Exhibition at Bingley house, Birmingham 1849, from which Prince Albert took the idea of Exhibition of 1851; contributed descriptive notes signed W.C.A. to Illustrated catalogue of Great Exhibition 1851; wrote about a third of _Birmingham and the Midland hardware district_ 1865; wrote in the _Art Journal_. _d._ Birmingham 23 March 1875. _Birmingham Daily Post 24 March 1875_.
AITON, JOHN (_youngest son of Wm. Aiton 1760–1848, sheriff substitute of Lanarkshire_). _b._ Strathaven, June 1797; studied theology at univ. of Edinburgh; licensed by presbytery of Hamilton 30 Nov. 1819; minister of parish of Dolphington 14 April 1825 to death; D.D. Glasgow, March 1836; author of _Life and times of Alexander Henderson_ 1836; _Clerical Economics_ 1842, _2 ed._ 1846; _The lands of the Messiah, Mahomet, and the Pope_ 1852; _Manual of domestic economy_ 1857. _d._ Pyrgo park, Havering, Essex 15 May 1863.
AITON, JOHN TOWNSEND. Gardener at Kensington palace 1831 to death. _d._ Kensington palace 4 July 1851 aged 74.
AKERMAN, JOHN YONGE (_son of John Akerman of St. Mary Newington, Surrey who d. 2 Nov. 1835 aged 50_). _b._ London 12 June 1806; F.S.A. 16 Jany. 1834; started the _Numismatic Journal_ June 1836, the first English periodical devoted to the illustration of coins; one of the secretaries of Numismatic society 1836–60, the first regular meeting was held 22 Dec. 1836; edited _Journal of Numismatic Society_ 1837–60; and _Numismatic Chronicle_ 1838–60; gold medallist of French Institute; joint sec. with Sir Henry Ellis of Society of Antiquaries 2 May 1848 and sole sec. 1853–24 June 1860; lived at Abingdon 1860 to death; author of _Numismatic Manual 1832_; _Descriptive catalogue of rare Roman coins, 2 vols._ 1834; _Legends of old London_ 1853 and 18 other books; author of many papers in the _Archæologia_ and _Numismatic Journal_. _d._ Abingdon 18 Nov. 1873. _Numismatic Chronicle xiv_, 13–19 (1874).
AKHURST, WILLIAM. _b._ Hammersmith 29 Dec. 1822; went to Australia 1850; sub-editor and musical critic on the _Argus_ daily paper in Melbourne; wrote 14 pantomimes; wrote _The siege of Troy_ burlesque which was performed 60 nights, a run without precedent in Australia; returned to England 1870; wrote pantomimes for Astley’s, Pavilion, and Elephant and Castle theatres. _d._ on board the “Patriarch” on his voyage to Sydney 7 June 1878.