Background
Samuel Ayscough was born at Nottingham in 1745. He was the grandson of William Ayscough, a stationer and printer of Nottingham, where he introduced the art of typography about 1710, and died on 2 March 1719, and the son of George Ayscough, who succeeded to his father's business, which he carried on upwards of forty years.
His father, George Ayscough was much esteemed in the neighbourhood, and was connected with some of the most respectable families in the county. His first wife died childless. He then married Edith, daughter of Benjamin Wigley of Wirksworth, by whom he had a son, Samuel, and a daughter, Anne. He inherited a good business, but, instead of devoting his energies to its development, launched into various wild speculations, among others being one to extract gold from the dross of coals. Having in this way gradually got rid of nearly all his money, about the year 1762 he took a large farm at Great Wigston in Leicestershire, where he was still more unfortunate, losing not only the remainder of his own property, but the fortunes of his two children.
Education
Samuel Ayscough was educated at the free grammar school in Nottingham.
Career
Samuel Ayscough left Nottingham for London, where he obtained an engagement in the cataloguing department of the British Museum.
In 1782 he published a two-volume catalogue of the then undescribed manuscripts in the museum.
About 1785 he was appointed assistant librarian at the museum, and soon afterwards took holy orders.
In 1786 he published an index to the first seventy volumes of the Monthly Review, and in 1796 indexed the remaining volumes. Both this index and his catalogue of the undescribed manuscripts in the museum were private ventures. His first official work was a third share in the British Museum catalogue of 1787, and he subsequently catalogued the ancient rolls and charters, 16, 000 in all.
In 1789 he produced the first two volumes of the index to the Gentleman's Magazine, and in 1790 the first index-concordance to Shakespeare.
He died at the British Museum on the 30th of October 1804.
Membership
On 12 March 1789 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Personality
His friend Nichols pays a touching tribute to his good heart and benevolent character. He was of tall and bulky figure, as is shown by his portrait. A friend tells a long story about a young lady who was reproved for her want of attention when being shown the 'curiosities' by Ayscough, 'than whom perhaps a kinder-hearted, better-humoured man never existed, ' and 'who, although an old bachelor, was a great admirer of beauty. '