Aspland was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, England on 5 March 1888. Her birthplace was incorporated into the newly formed county of Greater Manchester in 1974. She was the sixth of eight children born to Richard Walter Aspland and Elizabeth Clarke, who married in 1875. Her older brother Harold lived to be 92.

Aspland never married and had no children. She looked after her mother and father until their deaths in 1936 and 1940, aged 78 and 87 respectively. She had several jobs, including at a grocer’s store and at Bournemouth Pavilion when she was in her 70s. She moved to Lytham St Annes, Lancashire to live with her niece, Ethel Fieldhouse, in 1987.

On her 108th birthday, Aspland stated her most memorable moments to be Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, her school days, and the Boer War. It was reported that her sight and hearing were deteriorating, but was still mentally sharp, enjoying sport and dominoes. She never smoked nor drank alcohol excessively.

Aspland died on 21 October 1999 at the age of 111 years, 230 days. She was the fourth-oldest resident of the United Kingdom upon her death, after Annie Jennings, Eva Morris, and Amy Hulmes.