Background
He was the son of William Aston (died 1826), gunsmith, of Deansgate, in Manchester from 1770. By 1811 William Aston & Son were gunsmiths at 53 King"s Street.
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Joseph Aston
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In October 1790 Joseph Aston married Elizabeth Preston, also of Manchester. In 1803 he opened a stationer"s shop at 84 Deansgate, where, on 1 January 1805, he issued the prospectus of the Manchester Mail, published at sixpence, and professing "no political creed." From 1809 till 1825 he was publisher and editor of the Manchester Exchange Herald, a conservative journal.
Afterwards he removed to Rochdale, where he started the Rochdale Recorder and then retired to live at Chadderton Hall.
He died at Chadderton Hall, 19 October 1844, and was buried at Tonge, adjoining Middleton. Foreign about thirty-four years he also enjoyed the closest intimacy with James Montgomery, the poet, and editor of the Sheffield Iris, who submitted to him most of his manuscripts for revision and criticism.
He himself was a facile writer of verses, the majority of which appeared in his own paper. Of his dramatic pieces, Conscience, a comedy, was performed at the Theatre Royal, Manchester, in 1815, with moderate success.
And he also wrote Retributive Justice, a tragedy, and A Family Story, a comedy.
Politics
In Aston"s youth his political views were Liberal and favoured reform, but in later life he wrote in a Conservative spirit.
