Sir William Bock Ayling (30 August 1867 – 25 September 1946) was a British civil servant and judge who served on the bench of the

Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High ...

from 1912 to 1924.

Early life

Ayling was born at Weymouth in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

on 30 August 1867 to Frederick William and Maria Ayling; his father was described as a lodging house keeper in 1871. 1871 Census of Weymouth, RG10/2001, Folio 60, Page 30, William Bock Ayling, 1 Augusta Place, Melcombe Regis. Ayling was educated at

Weymouth College Weymouth College is a further education college located in Weymouth, England. The college has over 4,000 students, studying on a wide range of practical and academic courses in many subjects. The college is part of The University of Plymouth ...

and

Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

. He joined the

Indian civil service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million ...

in 1886 and arrived in India on 30 January 1889 on completion of his training.

Career

Ayling served as Assistant Collector and magistrate and was appointed as Sub-Collector in January 1900. From 1903 he served as a district and sessions judge"Sir William Ayling." Times ondon, England26 Sept. 1946: 7. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 24 June 2012. and in 1912. He served as the Principal District Judge of Salem District of Madras Presidency during March 1907 to February 1908, and from January 1909 to June 1910. (Refer Salem District E-court). Ayling was appointed judge of the Madras High Court and served till 1924. He also officiated as Chief Justice for a short period in 1921. As Chief Justice, Ayling headed the three-member committee appointed to investigate the 1921 Buckingham and Carnatic Mills Strike. Apart from Ayling, the committee consisted of two Indians - a

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

and a non-Brahmin. The committee submitted its report in a short while blaming the striking workers for indulging in violence against

Dalits Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

Death

Ayling died at his house at

Berkhamstead Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which is based in the neighbouring large new tow ...

on 25 September 1946. He was seventy nine at the time of his death. Ayling married Emma Annie Graham in 1901. Emma died in 1912. Ayling was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

in 1915.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayling, William 1867 births 1946 deaths Knights Bachelor Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Chief Justices of the Madras High Court People educated at Weymouth College (public school) British India judges British people in colonial India People from the Madras Presidency