''English Eccentrics and Eccentricities'' was written by

John Timbs John Timbs (; 17 August 1801 – 6 March 1875) was an English author and antiquary. Some of his work was published under the pseudonym of Horace Welby. Biography Timbs was born in 1801 in Clerkenwell, London. He was educated at a private schoo ...

and published first in two volumes by Richard Bentley in New Burlington Street, London, in 1866. It remains both entertaining light reading and a source of biographical incident, sometimes rarely repeated on unusual people of the late 18th and early 19th century, from celebrities to recluses, religious notables to country astrologers, pop authors to tragedians. As Timbs lays out his purpose in his preface:

, a few words before we introduce you to our . They may be odd company: yet, how often do we find eccentricity in the minds of persons of good understanding. Their sayings and doings, it is true, may not rank as high among the delicacies of intellectual epicures as the Strasburg pies among the dishes described in the ''Almanach des Gourmands''; but they possess attractions in proportion to the degree in which 'man favours wonders.' Swift has remarked, that 'a little grain of the romance is no ill ingredient to preserve and exalt the dignity of human nature, without which it is apt to degenerate into everything that is sordid, vicious, and low.' Into the latter extremes Eccentricity is occasionally apt to run, somewhat like certain fermenting liquors which cannot be checked in their acidifying courses. Into such headlong excesses our Eccentrics rarely stray; and one of our objects in sketching their ways, is to show that with oddity of character may co-exist much goodness of heart; and your strange fellow, though, according to the lexicographer, he be outlandish, odd, queer, and eccentric, may possess claims to our notice which the man who is ever studying the fitness of things would not so readily present. Many books of character have been published which have recorded the acts, sayings, and fortunes of Eccentrics. The instances in the present Work are, for the most part, drawn ''from our own time'', so as to present points of novelty which could not so reasonably be expected in portraits of older date. They are motley-minded and grotesque in many instances; and from their rare accidents may be gathered many a lesson of thrift, as well as many a scene of humour to laugh at; while some realize the well remembered couplet on the near alliance of wits to madness. A glance at the accompanying Table of Contents, and the Index to each volume, will, it is hoped, convey a fair idea of the number and variety of characters and incidents to be found in this gallery of . It should be added, that in the preparation of this Work, the Author has availed himself of the most trustworthy materials for the staple of his narratives, which, in certain cases, he has preferred giving ''ipsissimis verbis'' of his authorities to "re-writing" them, as it is termed; a process which rarely adds to the veracity of story-telling, but, on the other hand, often gives a colour to the incidents which the original narrator never intended to convey. The object has been to render the book truthful as well as entertaining.

Volume One

*The Beckfords and Fonthill *Alderman Beckford's Monument Speech, in Guildhall *

Beau Brummel George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

* Sir Lumley Skeffington, Bart * "Romeo" Coates * Abraham Newland *The Spendthrift Squire of Halston,

John Mytton John "Mad Jack" Mytton (30 September 1796 – 29 March 1834) was a British eccentric and rake of the Regency period who was briefly a Tory Member of Parliament. Early life John Mytton was born on 30 September 1796, the son of John Mytton a ...

* Lord Petersham *The King and Queen of the

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...

*Sir Edward Bering's Luckless Courtship *

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, on the Scottish side of the border between Scotland and England, defined by the small river Sark, which flows into the nearby Solway Firth. It was histori ...

Marriages *The Agapemone, or Abode of Love *Singular Scotch Ladies *Mrs. Bond, of Hackney *John Ward, the Hackney Miser *"Poor Man of Mutton" * Lord Kenyon's Parsimony *

Mary Moser Mary Moser (27 October 1744 – 2 May 1819) was an English painter and one of the most celebrated female artists of 18th-century Britain. One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768 (along with Angelica Kauffman), Mose ...

, the Flower-painter *The Eccentric Miss Banks *Thomas Cooke, the Miser, of Pentonville *Thomas Cooke, the Turkey Merchant *"Lady Lewson," of Clerkenwell *Profits of Dust-sifting and Dust-heaps *Sir John Dineley, Bart. *The

Rothschilds The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of F ...

*A Legacy of Half-a-million of Money *Eccentricities of the Earl of Bridgewater *The Denisons, and the Conyngham Family *"Dog Jennings" *Baron Ward's Remarkable Career *A Costly House-warming *Devonshire Eccentrics * Hannah Snell, the Female Soldier *Lady Archer *Modem Alchemists *Jack Adams, the Astrologer *The Woman-hating Cavendish *Modern Astrology "Witch Pickles" *Hannah Green; or, "Ling Bob" *Oddities of

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British aristocrat, adventurer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her archaeological excavation of Ashkelon in 1815 is considered the first t ...

—primarily her beliefs in her place in prophecy and her peculiar form of astrology *Hermits and Eremitical Life *The Recluses of

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Bea ...

*Snuff-taking Legacies *Burial Bequests *Burials on Box Hill and

Leith Hill Leith Hill in southern England is the highest summit of the Greensand Ridge, approximately southwest of Dorking, Surrey and southwest of central London. It reaches above sea level, and is the second highest point in southeast England, after ...

Peter Labilliere Peter Labilliere (1725-1800), also known as Peter Labelliere, was the British Army Major buried upside down on Box Hill near Dorking in Surrey. Biography Labilliere was born in Dublin on 30 May 1725 to a family of French Huguenot descent. He ...

** Richard Hull *

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747ref name="Johnson2012" /> – 6 June 1832) was an English philosopher, jurist, an ...

's Bequest of his Remains *The Marquis of Anglesey's Leg *The Cottle Church *

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whig politician. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twi ...

's Chattels saved by a Talisman — believed to be the polished black coal scrying mirror of Dr. Dee *Norwood Gipsies *"Cunning Mary," of Clerkenwell *"Jerusalem Whalley " *Father Mathew and the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

*Eccentric Preachers *Irving a Millenarian *A Trio of Fanatics *The Spenceans *

Joanna Southcote Joanna Southcott (or Southcote; April 1750 – 26 December 1814) was a self-described religious prophetess from Devon, England. A "Southcottian" movement continued in various forms after her death; its eighth prophet, Mabel Barltrop, died in ...

, and the Coming of Shiloh *The Founder of

Mormonism Mormonism is the religious tradition and theology of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationism, Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, Mormonism has been applied to vari ...

*Huntington, the Preacher *Amen Peter Isnell *Strangely Eccentric, yet Sane *Strange Hallucination *"Corner Memory Thompson " *Mummy of a Manchester Lady *

Hypochondriasis Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...

*"The Wonder of all the Wonders that the World ever wondered at" *"The

Princess Caraboo Mary Baker (née Willcocks; 11 November 1792 (alleged), Witheridge, Devonshire, England – 24 December 1864, Bristol, England) was an English impostor. Posing as the fictional Princess Caraboo, Baker pretended to come from a far-off island kin ...

" *Fat Folks. Lambert and Bright *A Cure for Corpulence *Epitaphs on Fat Folks *Count Boruwlaski, the Polish Dwarf *The Irish Giant *Birth Extraordinary *William Button's "Strong Woman" *Wildman and his Bees *

Lord Stowell William Scott, 1st Baron Stowell (17 October 174528 January 1836) was an English judge and jurist. He served as Judge of the High Court of Admiralty from 1798 to 1828. Background and education Scott was born at Heworth, a village about four m ...

's Love of Sight-seeing *John Day and Fairlop Fair *A Princely Hoax

Volume Two

Strange Sights and Sporting Scenes

* Sir John Waters's Escape * Colonel Mackinnon's Practical Joking *A Gourmand Physician *Dick England, the Gambler * Brighton Races, Thirty Years since *Colonel Hellish *

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...

Eccentrics *"Walking Stewart" *Youthful Days of the Hon.

Grantley Berkeley The Honourable George Charles Grantley FitzHardinge Berkeley (10 February 1800 – 20 February 1881), known as Grantley Berkeley, was a British politician, writer and sportsman. Background and education Berkeley was the sixth son of Frederick Ber ...

*What became of the Seven Dials *An Old Bailey Character *Bone and Shell Exhibition *"Quid Eides? " *"

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ce ...

Trotters " *Eccentric

Lord Coleraine Baron Coleraine is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of Ireland in 1625 for the courtier Hugh Hare. This creation beca ...

*Eccentric Travellers *Elegy on a Geologist

Artists

* Gilray and his

Caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

s *

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, Painter and Poet * Nollekens, the Sculptor *The Young Roscius *Hardham's "No. 37" *Rare Criticism *The O. P. Riot *Origin of "Paul Pry" *Mrs. Garrick *Mathews, a Spanish Ambassador * Grimaldi, the Clown * Munden's Last Performance *Oddities of Dowton *Liston in Tragedy *Boyhood of

Edmund Kean Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...

*A Mysterious Parcel *Masquerade Incident *Mr. T. P. Cooke in Melodrama and Pantomime *"Romeo and Juliet" in America *The Mulberries, a Shakspearian Club *

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling ...

's Daughter *An Eccentric Love-passage *True to the Text *

Monk Lewis Matthew Gregory Lewis (9 July 1775 – 14 or 16 May 1818) was an English novelist and dramatist, whose writings are often classified as "Gothic horror". He was frequently referred to as "Monk" Lewis, because of the success of his 1796 Gothic no ...

*Person's Eccentricities *Parriana: Oddities of Dr. Parr *Oddities of

John Horne Tooke John Horne Tooke (25 June 1736 – 18 March 1812), known as John Horne until 1782 when he added the surname of his friend William Tooke to his own, was an English clergyman, politician, and philologist. Associated with radical proponents of parl ...

*Mr. Canning's Humour * Peter Pindar. Dr. Wolcot *The Author of " Dr. Syntax " *Mrs. Radcliffe and the Critics *Cool Sir James Mackintosh *Eccentricities of Cobbett *Heber, the Book-collector *

Sir John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the R ...

lampooned *Extraordinary Calculators *

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book ''Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764– ...

's Cottage at Islington *Thomas Hood *A Witty Archbishop *Literary Madmen *A Perpetual-motion Seeker *The Romantic Duchess of Newcastle *Sources of Laughter *Busby's Folly and Bull Feather Hall *Old Islington Taverns *The Oyster and Parched-pea Club *A Manchester Punch-house *"The Blue Key" *Brandy in Tea *"The Wooden Spoon" *A Tipsy Village *What an Epicure eats in his Life-time *Epitaph on Dr. Maginn *Greenwich Dinners *Lord Pembroke's Port Wine *A Tremendous Bowl of Punch *Long Sir Thomas Robinson *Lord Chesterfield's Will *An Odd Family *An Eccentric Host *Quackery Successful *The Grateful Footpad *A Notoriety of the Temple *A Ride in a Sedan * Mr. John Scott (Lord Eldon) in Parliament *A Chancery Jeu-d'Esprit *Hanging by Compact *The Ambassador Floored *"The Dutch Mail" *Bad Spelling *A "Single Conspirator" *A Miscalculation *An Indiscriminate Collector *The Bishop's Saturday Night *"Rather than otherwise" *Classic Soup Distribution *Alphabet Single Rhymed *Non Sequitur and Therefore {{Col-end

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