''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

''magazine'', meaning "storehouse") for a periodical. Samuel Johnson's first regular employment as a writer was with ''The Gentleman's Magazine''.

History

The original complete title was ''The Gentleman's Magazine: or, Trader's monthly intelligencer''. Cave's innovation was to create a monthly digest of news and commentary on any topic the educated public might be interested in, from commodity prices to Latin poetry. It carried original content from a stable of regular contributors, as well as extensive quotations and extracts from other periodicals and books. Cave, who edited ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' under the pen name "Sylvanus Urban", was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (meaning "storehouse") for a periodical. Contributions to the magazine frequently took the form of letters, addressed to "Mr. Urban". The iconic illustration of St. John's Gate on the front of each issue (occasionally updated over the years) depicted Cave's home, in effect, the magazine's "office". Before the founding of ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', there were specialised journals, but no such wide-ranging publications (although there had been attempts, such as ''The Gentleman's Journal'', which was edited by

Peter Motteux Peter Anthony Motteux (born Pierre Antoine Motteux ; 25 February 1663 – 18 February 1718) was a French-born English author, playwright, and translator. Motteux was a significant figure in the evolution of English journalism in his era, as the ...

and ran from 1692 to 1694). Samuel Johnson's first regular employment as a writer was with ''The Gentleman's Magazine''. During a time when parliamentary reporting was banned, Johnson regularly contributed parliamentary reports as "Debates of the Senate of Magna Lilliputia". Though they reflected the positions of the participants, the words of the debates were mostly Johnson's own. The name "

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

", a poetic name for America coined by Johnson, first appears in a 1738 weekly publication of the debates of the British Parliament in the magazine. A skilled businessman, Edward Cave developed an extensive distribution system for ''The Gentleman's Magazine''. It was read throughout the English-speaking world and continued to flourish through the 18th century and much of the 19th century under a series of different editors and publishers. It went into decline towards the end of the 19th century and finally ceased general publication in September 1907. However, issues consisting of four pages each were printed in very small editions between late 1907 and 1922 in order to keep the title formally "in print".

Series

Gentleman's Magazine Volume One, Number One

*1731–1735 ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' or ''Monthly Intelligencer'' *1736–1833 ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' and Historical Chronicle *1834–1856 (June) New Series: ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' *1856 (July)–1868 (May) New Series: ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' and Historical Review *1868 (June)–1922 Entirely New Series: ''The Gentleman's Magazine''

Indexes

In addition to an index for each year of ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', which was usually published with the December issue of the magazine, a full index was compiled by the College of Arms and typed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. This 75-volume index, covering the years 1731–1850, gives the full name and an abbreviated reference to the date, event, and any other person(s) in each entry. The index is available at the Family History Library (FHL) under the call number 942 B2g Index, and is also available on microfilm (#599738–#599761) or microfiche (#6026701). In addition to the index, the FHL also has the magazine itself available in various formats. An abstract of the "chief contents of ''The Gentleman’s Magazine'' from 1731 to 1868" was published by George L. Gomme in 1891. He describes it as "excerpts from the original publications containing local history and information, topographical details, and family history are presented here, organized into volumes by county". Gomme's work has been digitised and indexed by Ancestry.com and is available online to Ancestry subscribers or at subscribing libraries. A four-volume set of indexes was compiled by Samuel Ayscough (Assistant Librarian of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

) with some assistance or later editing by John Nichols and by Gabriel Richard. The contents of these indexes are given as: *Volume 1 – 1731 – 1786 (published by Samuel Ayscough) **Index to the essays, dissertations and historical passages (494 pp.) **Index to poetry (62 pp.) **Index to names (239 pp.) **Index to plates (10 pp.) **Index to books (118 pp.) *Volume 2 – 1787 – 1818 (published by John Nichols) **Index to the essays, dissertations and historical passages (486 pp.) **Index to poetry (57 pp.) **Index to names (519 pp.) **Index to plates (17 pp.) **Index to books (103 pp.) **Index to books announced (13 pp.) **Index to musical publications (3 pp.) *Volume 3 – 1731 – 1818 (published by John Nichols) **Index to plates (239 pp.) *Volume 4 – 1731 – 1780 (published by the British Record Society) **Index to names and surnames (687 pp.) Volume 2 includes an "Index of Names to the Marriages, Births, Deaths, Promotions, &c." covering 1731–1786, and volume 4 contains an "Index of Names of Persons" covering 1731–1818. The indexes are by surname only and are available online for free through Google Books: *Ayscough, Samuel; Nichols, John. "General Index to the ''Gentleman's Magazine''" Nichols, 1789. Vol. 2. Free digital version at Google Books (follow link to page 64, which is followed by the index, which is numbered as page 1). Indexes names from Vol. 1 "To the End of the LVIth Volume of the ''Gentleman’s Magazine''" and covers 1731–1786. *Ayscough, Samuel; Nichols, John. (sometimes Richard, Gabriel) "General Index to the ''Gentleman's Magazine'' 1787–1818" Nichols, 1821. Vol. 3. Free digital version at Google Books David Dobson gleaned references to American births, marriages, and deaths from ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' and published it as ''American Vital Records from the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731–1868'' (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987). A few partial indexes to genealogical events in ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' are also available: *Fry, Edward Alexander. "Index to the Marriages in the ''Gentleman's Magazine'', 1731–1768" (London: .n. 1922) *Fry, Edward Alexander. "Index to the Biographical and Obituary Notices in ''Gentleman's Magazine'', 1731–1780" (London: British Records Society, 1891) *Marriages from ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' for the years 1731 to 1768 were included in ''Boyd's Marriage Index''. *Obituaries were included in ''Musgrave's Obituaries''. *Joseph Foster's index to marriages includes marriages from this periodical, as well as from ''The Times'' (1865–1880 only) and the Historical Register; but covers surname beginning Aa–Alexander only."Marriages of the Nobility and Gentry, 1650–1880", an article in ''Collectanea Genealogica, 1881–1885'' * Bodleian Library's Internet Library of Early Journals offers an online subject search tool for the years 1731–1750.

Authors of works published

* Mark Akenside (1721–1770), physician and poet * Henry Aldrich (1647–1710), English

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and philosopher * Richard Allestree or Allestry (1619–1681),

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...

churchman and provost of

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

from 1665 *

Anthony Alsop Anthony Alsop was born about 1670 and died in Winchester on 10 June 1726. He was a clergyman and Neo-Latin poet who sided with the Tory Party at the end of the Stuart era. His poetry was admired at the time but was eventually forgotten until a r ...

(d. 1726),

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

clergyman and poetical writer * George Ashby (1724–1808), English learned antiquary and sometime president of St. John's College, Cambridge * Francis Atterbury (1663–1732), English man of letters, politician, Bishop of Rochester, and Dean of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

* Samuel Badcock (1747–1788), English nonconformist minister, theological writer and literary critic * Henry Baker (1698–1774) *

John Bancks John Bancks (1709 – 19 April 1751), also known as John Banks, was an English writer. Bancks was born in Sonning, Berkshire, and became apprenticed to a weaver in Reading. He suffered an accident, and left the apprenticeship before completion, ...

(1709–1751), miscellaneous writer * Mary Barber (c. 1685–c. 1755), poet, mother of nine children, and a member of Swift's circle *

Samuel Bowden Samuel Bowden may refer to: * Samuel Bowden (poet) * Samuel Bowden (cricketer) * Samuel Bowden (Medal of Honor) {{hndis, Bowden, Samuel ...

(fl. 1733–1761), English physician and poet (alive in 1761 but deceased by 1778) * John Bowle (1725–1788),

clergyman known as a writer on Spanish literature * Samuel Boyse (1708–1749), Irish poet *

Peregrine Branwhite Peregrine Branwhite (1745–1795?), was an English poet. Life Branwhite was son of Rowland Branwhite and Sarah (Brooke) his wife, and was baptised at Lavenham, Suffolk on 22 July 1745. He was brought up to the bombazine trade, which he carried on ...

(1745–1795?), English poet * Anna Eliza Bray (1790–1883), British novelist * James Norris Brewer (fl. 1799–1829), English

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

James Shudi Broadwood James Shudi Broadwood (20 December 1772 – 8 August 1851) was a piano maker in Middlesex and a magistrate in Surrey. His son, Henry Fowler Broadwood (1811–1893), took control of the family piano-manufacturing business in 1836. He was also th ...

(1772–1851),

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

maker in Middlesex and a magistrate in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

* Rev.

Moses Browne Moses Browne (1703 – 13 September 1787), poet and cleric, suffers from uncertainty about the details of his birth. Some records suggest Severn Stoke in Worcestershire, but a London birth is more likely, as he became a pen-cutter in Clerkenwell ...

(1704–1787),

priest and poet * Edward John Carlos (1798–1851), English antiquarian and writer on architecture * Thomas Christie (1761–1796), radical political writer *

Charles Clarke (antiquary) Charles Clarke (died 1840) was an English antiquary. Life Clarke was appointed a clerk in the ordnance office at Chatham in 1783. Seven years later, he was transferred to Gravesend, and in 1800 to Guernsey, where he remained until his retiremen ...

(died 1840), antiquarian * Rev. John Darwall (1731–1789),

clergyman and

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

* William Hepworth Dixon (1821–1879), English traveler, historian, author * Rev. John Duncombe (1729–1786) * Rev.

William Dunkin William Dunkin, D.D. (1709?–1765), was an Irish poet. Life William Dunkin was born in Dublin in around 1709. His parents died when he was young and he was left in early life to the charge of Trinity College, Dublin, by an aunt who left her p ...

, D.D. (1709?–1765), Irish poet and Anglican clergyman * William Falconer (1732–1769), Scottish poet * Thomas Faulkner (1777–1855), topographer of Chelsea, Fulham, Kensington etc. * James Frederic Ferguson (1807–1855), Irish antiquary born in Charleston, South Carolina * Thomas Fisher (1772–1826) * Rev. George Glasse (1761–1809), chaplain and a Fellow of the Royal Society * Sir Andrew Halliday (1782–1839), Scottish physician, reformer, and writer * Sir

John Hawkins John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1719–1789), English author and friend of Samuel Johnson and Horace Walpole * Rev. William Hawkins (1722–1801), English clergyman, poet, and dramatist *

Susanna Highmore Susanna Highmore (née Hiller) (1690 – 18 November 1750) was an English poet with a relatively small literary output. She was the wife of Joseph Highmore, whom she married on 28 May 1716. She was listed as "an heiress", while Joseph Highmor ...

(1690–1750), minor British poet * Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) *

Andrew Kippis Andrew Kippis (28 March 17258 October 1795) was an English nonconformist clergyman and biographer. Life The son of Robert Kippis, a silk-hosier, he was born at Nottingham. Having gone to Carre's Grammar School in Sleaford, Lincolnshire he pa ...

(1725–1795), English nonconformist clergyman and biographer * Rev. John Langhorne (1735–1779),

clergyman, poet and co-translator of Plutarch's '' Lives'' * William Lauder (c. 1680–1771), Scottish literary forger; article on John Milton's '' Paradise Lost'' was largely a plagiarism of earlier works * Sir Sidney Lee (1859–1926) * John Lockman (1698–1771), English author *

Michael Lort Michael Lort (1725–1790) was a Welsh clergyman, academic and antiquary. Life The descendant of a Pembrokeshire family living at Prickeston, he was eldest son of Roger Lort, major of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who married Anne, only child of Edw ...

(1725–1790), Welsh clergyman, academic, and antiquary * William Markham (1719–1807), English divine and archbishop of York * Arthur Murphy (1727–1805), Irish writer *

Laetitia Pilkington Laetitia Pilkington (born Laetitia van Lewen; ''c.'' 1709 – 29 July 1750) was an Anglo-Irish poet. She is known for her ''Memoirs'' which document much of what is known about Jonathan Swift. Life Early years Laetitia was born of two disti ...

(c.1709 to 1750),

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-born author and friend of

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Du ...

* Robert Riccaltoun (1691–1769), Scottish Presbyterian divine and friend of poet James Thomson (1700–1748) * William Roscoe (1753–1831), English historian and miscellaneous writer; poetry by him first appeared in the magazine in 1807 * Richard Savage (c. 1697–1743), English poet *

George Stephens George Stephens may refer to: * George Stephens (playwright) (1800–1851), English author and dramatist *George Stephens (philologist) (1813–1895), British archaeologist and philologist, who worked in Scandinavia * George Washington Stephens, Sr ...

(1813–1895), English

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

and

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

who worked in Scandinavia *

(1667–1745), Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet and cleric who became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin * Captain

Philip Thicknesse Captain Philip Thicknesse (1719 – 23 November 1792) was an English author, eccentric, and friend of the artist Thomas Gainsborough. He wrote several travel guides. Early life Philip Thicknesse was born in Staffordshire, England, son of John ...

(1719–1792) * James Thomson (1700–1748), Scottish poet and playwright best known for his masterpiece '' The Seasons'' and the lyrics of " Rule, Britannia!" * Nigel Tourneur (18??–18??), pseudonym of a fin de siècle writer known for one work only—''Hidden Witchery'', a collection of seven short stories and a short prose drama *

Thomas Tyrwhitt Thomas Tyrwhitt (; 27 March 173015 August 1786) was an English classical scholar and critic. Life He was born in London, where he also died. He was educated at Eton College and Queen's College, Oxford. He was elected a fellow of Merton College ...

(1730–1786), English classical scholar and critic *

Michael Tyson (antiquary) Michael Tyson (1740–1780) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican priest, academic, antiquary, and artist. Life He was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire on 19 November 1740, the only child of Michael Tyson (Archdeacon of Huntingdon), Michael Tyson ( ...

(1740–1780),

clergyman, academic, antiquary and artist * Richard Weston (botanist) (1733–1806) *

Charles Woodmason Charles Woodmason ( – March 1789) was an author, poet, Anglican clergyman, American loyalist, and west gallery psalmodist. He is best remembered for his journal documenting life on the South Carolina frontier in the late 1760s, and for ...

(c. 1720–1789), English-born American poet *

Edward Young Edward Young (c. 3 July 1683 – 5 April 1765) was an English poet, best remembered for ''Night-Thoughts'', a series of philosophical writings in blank verse, reflecting his state of mind following several bereavements. It was one of the mo ...

(1681–1765), English poet, best remembered for '' Night-Thoughts''

Associated artists, painters, topographers

* James Norris Brewer (fl. 1799–1829) English

and

* Thomas Faulkner (1775–1855), topographer * John Gibson (1750–1792), cartographer * Moses Griffith (1749–1819), Welsh draughtsman, engraver, and water colourist * William George Moss, chief illustrator c.1819 *

Bartholomew Howlett Bartholomew Howlett (1767–1827), was an English draughtsman and engraver. Howlett was born in Louth in Lincolnshire in 1767. He was the son, by his first marriage, of Bartholomew Howlett, a native of Norfolk, who was settled at Louth. Howlet ...

(1767–1827), English draughtsman and engraver * Samuel Rawle (1771–1860), English topographical engraver and draughtsman

References

External links

* *
''The Gentleman's Magazine''
archives at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

.
''The Gentleman's Magazine''
archives at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

.
Bodleian Internet Library of Early Journals: A digital library of 18th and 19th Century journals
including ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', vols 1–20 (1731–50)

*''A Selection of Curious Articles from the Gentleman's Magazine'', John Walker, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, 181
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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gentlemans Magazine, The 1731 establishments in England 1922 disestablishments in England Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in England Magazines established in 1731 Magazines disestablished in 1922 Magazines published in London News magazines published in the United Kingdom