SAMUEL

See also:

• SAMUEL AYSCOUGH (1745-1804)

AYSCOUGH (1745-1804)  , English librarian and index-maker, was born at Nottingham in 1745 . His father, a printer and stationer, having ruined himself by speculation, 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 was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and has been called " The Prince of Indexers." He died at the British Museum on the 3oth of October 1804 .