James Aspinall

Born on 22 June 1795, he was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford, taking his BA in 1820 and MA in 1823. He began his church career in Cheshire and Rochdale before returning to Liverpool as curate of St Luke’s Church.

He gained notice for outspoken views. In 1831 he published The Crisis or The Signs of the Times with regard to the Church of England, calling for major reform of the established church, including changes to tithes, pluralities, pay inequalities, and patronage. In 1839 he became rector of Althorpe in Lincolnshire, a post he held until his death in 1861.

For many readers, his most appealing book is Liverpool a Few Years Since, first published in 1852 under the name “An Old Stager.” It offers lively sketches of Liverpool’s people and places in the first half of the 19th century, and it remains a valuable window into the city he knew so well.