Thomas Ainslie (colonial official)

Thomas Ainslie (8 February 1729 – 7 April 1806)^[1] is most known for his role as HM Collector of Customs at Quebec, with the British HM Customs, a department of the British Government. He served in Quebec as a loyalist to the crown, staunchly protecting its interests in the colony. Thomas Ainslie is the author of a journal on the siege of Quebec by the American Continental Army in the Battle of Quebec (1775).^[2]

On 29 September 1768, Ainslie registered arms with Lord Lyon as the descendant of the Ainslies of Dolphinston. The Lord Lyon Depute granted Thomas's request, and the arms implicitly claim descent as the senior descendant of the Ainslies of Dolphinston.

In the Thirteen Colonies, Ainslie appears to have been the British Customs Officer presiding over the Duty that provoked the Boston Tea Party.^{[citation needed]}