Pishey Thompson (1784–1862) was an English publisher and antiquarian writer, known as a historian of

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It lies to the south-east of Lincoln, east of Nottingham and north-east of Peterborough. The town had a population of 45,339 at ...

. He spent the years 1819 to 1846 in the United States.

Life

Thompson was born at Peachey Hall, Freiston, near Boston, Lincolnshire. He went to work as a bank clerk in Boston. In 1811–12 he ran ''The Enquirer, or Literary, Mathematical, and Philosophical Repository'', from Boston with William Marrat. Emigrating to America in 1819, Thompson was in business as a bookseller and publisher on

Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a primarily diagonal street in Washington, D.C. that connects the United States Capitol with the White House and then crosses northwest Washington, D.C. to Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown. Traveling through So ...

, Washington. There he became acquainted with

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mas ...

, and other leading figures. Thompson had numerous interests in the US, including the settlement at

Albion, Illinois Albion is a city in and the county seat of Edwards County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,971 at the 2020 census. The city was named "Albion" after an ancient and poetic reference to the island of Great Britain. History The sett ...

, and was naturalised as an American citizen, but became bankrupt. He returned to England in 1841; and went back to the US in 1843, to disappointment as far as his prospects there were concerned. His one abiding source of income was as a writer for the ''

National Intelligencer The ''National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser'' was a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., from October 30, 1800 until 1870. It was the first newspaper published in the District, which was founded in 1790. It was originally a tri ...

''. Thompson returned to England in 1846. He died at

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

on 25 September 1862, and was buried at

Abney Park cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

Works

Thompson researched Boston and the neighbouring villages, and announced his intention to publish an antiquarian work on them in 1807. Materials were published under the title of ''Collections for a Topographical and Historical Account of Boston and the Hundred of Skirbeck in the County of Lincoln'', 1820. Much later he resumed work and eventually published in 1856 ''The History and Antiquities of Boston and the Villages of Skirbeck, Fishtoft, Freiston, Butterwick, Bennington, Leverton, Leake, and Wrangle, comprising the Hundred of Skirbeck in the County of Lincoln''. He republished in 1826 an expanded version of a legal work of William Sampson from 1824.

Family

Thompson was married to Jane Tonge, but had no children by her; she published a volume of verse. He fathered an illegitimate son, John Wright (born 1824), by Mary Wright, daughter of Richard Wright.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Pishey 1784 births 1862 deaths 19th-century English businesspeople English publishers (people) People from Boston, Lincolnshire English emigrants to the United States 19th-century British publishers (people) 19th-century English antiquarians Burials at Abney Park Cemetery