Benjamin Aislabie

Benjamin Aislabie (14 January 1774 – 2 June 1842) was an English wine merchant, slave plantation owner and cricket administrator. He was the first Honorary Secretary of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and was influential in its early development. He also played between 1808 and 1841 as an amateur but was, statistically, one of the worst players on record.

Early life Aislabie was descended from John Aislabie who had been Chancellor of the Exchequer during the South Sea Bubble. He was educated at Sevenoaks School and possibly at Eton College. (There is some doubt whether Aislabie attended Eton or not.) His name, according to Etoniana in 1935, does not appear on the school roll although it is possible he was omitted, attended under a different name or was only at the school for a short period.

Cricket Aislabie joined the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1802 and played for the club between 1808 and 1841. He was President of MCC in 1823 and was the first Honorary Secretary of the club, a role he fulfilled between 1822 and his death. although he attempted to reduce the detrimental impacts of gambling on the sport during his tenure During his time as Secretary the membership of the club almost doubled from around 200 to close to 400. The painting and one other of Aislabie, which were hanging in the Long Room at Lord's, were removed from display in June 2020 due to his ownership of slaves. (The paintings were removed from display in response to a rise in awareness of the legacy of slave ownership following the Black Lives Matter protests of the summer of 2020.) The estates, operated using slavery, were passed on to his son in his will. Aislabie was compensated for the loss of his slaves following passage of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which prohibited slavery throughout the British Empire in 1834.

He was an overseer for Lee Parish in 1814 and was instrumental in distributing charity, including food and fuel, to the poor of the parish during the harsh winter of 1814. He allowed the parish to store coal and potatoes to distribute during the 13-week frost and employed a number of labourers during the winter.

Aislabie married Anne Hodgson in 1798; the couple had 12 children, six of whom, five daughters and a son, survived into adulthood. His son, William, attended Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge and inherited his estates in Dominica.

Benjamin Aislabie died at his house at Regents Park of an abscess of the throat in 1842 aged 68 and was buried at St Marylebone Parish Church.