Besides Crossley, another close friend to Ainsworth was John Aston, a clerk who worked in his father's legal firm. In 1823, Ainsworth and Crossley began to write many works together, including the first novel "Sir John Chiverton" that was based around Hulme Hall in Manchester. Ainsworth wrote to Thomas Campbell, editor of "The New Monthly Magazine", about publishing the work: but Campbell lost the letter. At the request of Ainsworth, Crossley travelled to London to meet Campbell and discuss the matter before visiting in November. Although the novel was not yet published, in December 1823, Ainsworth was able to get G. and W. Whittaker to publish a collection of his stories as "December Tales". During 1824, Ainsworth set about producing his own magazine, "The Boeotian", which was first published on 20 March but ended after its sixth issue on 24 April.