Ann Airy, the mother of George Biddell Airy, was a woman of great natural abilities both speculative and practical, kind as a neighbour and as head of a family, and was deeply loved and respected.

Throughout his life Airy was a regular attendant at church, and took much interest in the conduct of the Church services.

Airy was the performer, and appears to have outdone himself in his art of giving clearness and simplicity to the hardest and most complex subjects.

Mrs Airy was now becoming feebler, and did not now leave Greenwich: since April of this year her letters were written in pencil, and with difficulty, but she still made great efforts to keep up the accustomed correspondence.

Airy, who always took the liberal side in such questions, was a subscriber to the fund, and wrote the following letter to the Bishop: ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH, S.E., 1865, July 24.

Seriously speaking, Airy is by very much the best person they could have chosen for the situation, and few things have given me so much pleasure as his election."

Now it is a thing which you will think odd, but it is nevertheless true, that Airy is a better mathematician than your nephew, and has moreover been much more employed of late in such studies....

and I informed him that Sir George Airy was the astronomer royal!

William Airy, the father of George Biddell Airy, was a man of great activity and strength, and of prudent and steady character.