William Harrison Ainsworth (1805-1882) was an English historical novelist. His first success as a writer came with "Rookwood" in 1834, which features Dick Turpin as its leading character. A stream of 39 novels followed; "Jack Sheppard," "Guy Fawkes," "Old St Paul's," "Windsor Castle" and "The Lancashire Witches" are regarded as his most successful novels. "The Tower of London" is a historical romance that describes the story of Lady Jane Grey.