Octavian (John) Blewitt (1810–1884) was an English writer and long-time secretary of the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...

Biography

Octavian Blewitt was the son of John Edwards Blewitt, a merchant, and Caroline, daughter of Peter Symons, sometime mayor of Plymouth. He was born on 3 October 1810 in St. Helen's Place, Bishopsgate, London. Much of his early life was spent at Marazion House, in Cornwall, the residence of his great-uncle, Hannibal Curnow Blewitt; and he received his education at

Plymouth Grammar School Plymouth Grammar School, sometimes called Plymouth Corporation Grammar School, was a grammar school in Plymouth, England. The school was closed in 1937. History Founded or refounded in 1562, one source states that the school was established by th ...

. Entering the medical profession, he served the usual five years' apprenticeship, partly to his uncle, Mr. Dryden, assistant-surgeon of Devonport dockyard, and partly to Mr. Pollard of Torquay. In December 1833 he came to London, where he continued his medical studies in the infirmary of St. George's Hanover Square, and spent much of his time in the house of Sir James Clark, acting as tutor in classics to Clark's son and assisting him in preparing for the press his work on ''Phthisis'' (

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

). Afterwards he visited the island of Madeira with a patient, remained at Funchal for eight months, and subsequently travelled much in Italy, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and other countries. He was made a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

in 1839. In March of the same year he was elected secretary of the

(RLF), which office he continued to hold till his death. During his 25-year secretaryship the institution greatly extended the sphere of its operations. Blewitt spent many years in arranging the archives of the association; and these documents, when classified, were stitched into covers and are now preserved in 130 folio boxes. Alexis Weedon, in the

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

of Blewitt, notes his 'staunch Anglicanism' and 'stern moral attitude' to petitioners for RLF funds; and states that Blewitt stood in opposition to proposals for the reform of the society made by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

and

Charles Wentworth Dilke Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789–1864) was an English liberal critic and writer on literature. Professional life He served for many years in the Navy Pay-Office, on retiring from which in 1830 he devoted himself to literary pursuits. Lite ...

in the 1852-8 period. In 1872 Leopold II, King of the Belgians, presided at the annual banquet of the Literary Fund, and testified his sense of the secretary's services by creating him a knight of the order of Leopold. In 1846 he married, in London, Anne Roper Howard (b. 1811), the widow of Edward Howard and daughter of David Edward Williams. He died in London in November 1884. and was buried at Paddington Cemetery. After his death, Anne published '' The Rose and The Lily, How They Became the Emblems of England and France. A Fairy Tale'' in 1876 as Mrs. Octavian Blewitt.

Works

He was the author of: #
A Panorama of Torquay
' Torquay, 1830, 12mo, which was so successful that the impression was speedily exhausted, and a second and enlarged edition, ''A Descriptive and Historical Sketch of the District between the Dart and Teign'' was published at London in 1833, 8vo. #''Treatise on the Happiness arising from the Exercise of the Christian Faith''. # The preface to Glynn's ''Autograph Portfolio''. #
Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy, including the Papal States, Rome, and the Cities of Etruria
', London, 1843, 12mo (anon.); 2nd edition (with the author's name), 1850. This and the following work belong to the series known as Murray's guide-books. #
Handbook for Travellers in Southern Italy
', London, 1863, 12mo. For twenty-nine years Blewitt edited the newspaper portion of ''

The Gardeners' Chronicle ''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine '' Horticulture Week''. History Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Jose ...

'', and he contributed articles to the ''

Quarterly Review The ''Quarterly Review'' was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967. It was referred to as ''The London Quarterly Review'', as reprinted by Leonard Scott, f ...

'', ''

Fraser's Magazine ''Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country'' was a general and literary journal published in London from 1830 to 1882, which initially took a strong Tory line in politics. It was founded by Hugh Fraser and William Maginn in 1830 and loosely direc ...

'', the '' St. Paul's Magazine'', and other periodicals.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Blewitt, Octavian 1810 births 1884 deaths Anglican writers English Anglicans English archivists English magazine editors English travel writers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society People educated at Plymouth Grammar School People from the City of London Writers from Cornwall