Thomas Gaspey (31 March 1788 – 8 December 1871) was an English novelist and journalist. Gaspey was born in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

as the son of William Gaspey, a lieutenant in the navy. While a youth he wrote verses for yearly pocket-books, and when about twenty contributed to ''Literary Recreations'', a monthly publication, edited by

Eugenius Roche Eugenius Roche (1786–1829) was an Anglo-French journalist. He is often identified as Irish: his background was certainly Irish, but in the 19th century his own version of his background, that he was born in Paris, was widely accepted. Early ...

of the ''Morning Post.'' Soon afterwards he was engaged as parliamentary reporter on the ''Morning Post'', contributing also dramatic reviews, political parodies, and reports of trials for treason. In this paper he wrote an ''Elegy on the Marquis of Anglesey's Leg'', a jeu d'esprit which has been persistently attributed to Canning. On the ''Morning Post'' he was employed sixteen years, then for three or four years on the ''Courier'', a government paper, as sub-editor. In 1828 he bought a share in the ''

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', the tone of which paper he raised as a literary and dramatic organ, Horace Smith, the Rev. T. Dale, Alfred Crowquill, E. L. Blanchard, Gilbert à Beckett, and others contributing. His ''Richmond'' (1827) and ''The History of George Godfrey'' (1828) are considered as early examples of the

Newgate novel The Newgate novels (or Old Bailey novels) were novels published in England from the late 1820s until the 1840s that glamorised the lives of the criminals they portrayed. Most drew their inspiration from the ''Newgate Calendar'', a biography of famou ...

. He was for many years the senior member of the council of the Literary Fund. He was considered an excellent

mimic MIMIC, known in capitalized form only, is a former simulation computer language developed 1964 by H. E. Petersen, F. J. Sansom and L. M. Warshawsky of Systems Engineering Group within the Air Force Materiel Command at the Wright-Patterson AFB in ...

. The last twenty years of his life were spent quietly on his property at

Shooter's Hill Shooter's Hill (or Shooters Hill) is a district in South East London within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It borders the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north of Eltham and south of Woolwich. With a height of , it is the highest point in t ...

, Kent, where he died on 8 December 1871, aged 83, and was buried at

Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...

, Kent. He married Anne Camp in 1810 or 1811, and she died on 22 January 1883. His son, Thomas W. Gaspey, Ph.D., of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, who died on 22 December 1871, was author of works on the Rhine and Heidelberg, and of several linguistic handbooks. Another son, William Gaspey (born at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

20 June 1812, died at 17 St. Ann's Road, North Brixton, 19 July 1888), was a prolific writer in prose and verse.

Notable works

* ''The Mystery'', 1820. * ''Takings, or the Life of a Collegian, with 26 Etchings by Richard Dagley'', 1821, 8vo. * ''Calthorpe, or Fallen Fortunes'', a novel, 1821, 3 vols. * ''The Lollards, a Tale'', 1822, 3 vols. * ''Other Times, or the Monks of Leadenhall'', 1823. * ''The Witch-Finder'', 1824, 3 vols. * ''The History of George Godfrey'', 1828, 3 vols. * ''The Self-Condemned'', 1836, 3 vols. * ''Many-Coloured Life'', 1842. * ''The Pictorial History of France'', 1843, written in conjunction with G. M. Bussey. * ''The Life and Times of the Good Lord Cobham'', 1843, 2 vols. 12mo. * ''The Dream of Human Life'', 1849–52, 2 vols. unfinished. * ''The History of England from George III to 1859'', 1852–9, 4 vols. * ''The History of Smithfield'', 1852. * ''The Political Life of Wellington'', vol. iii. 1853, 4to.

References

* ;Attribution

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaspey, Thomas 1788 births 1871 deaths People from Hoxton 19th-century English novelists English male journalists English newspaper editors The Sunday Times people English male novelists 19th-century English male writers