Samuel Nicholson (1738–1827) was a London wholesale haberdasher, known as a Unitarian and associate of radicals. He is remembered for his social connections with

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

in the early 1790s.

Early life

Nicholson was born on 4 September 1738, the son of George Nicholson, and grandson of the nonconformist minister George Nicholson (1636–1690) of Kirkoswald, Cumberland. He was in business in London as a wholesale haberdasher, in Cateaton Street. His warehouse was adjacent to his home. In the 1780s, Nicholson was a member of the

Society for Constitutional Information The Society for Constitutional Information was a British activist group founded in 1780 by Major John Cartwright, to promote parliamentary reform and knowledge of the English constitution. It was an organisation of social reformers, many of who ...

Relationship with Wordsworth

Wordsworth met Nicholson through a family connection, Elizabeth Threlkeld, who had been

Dorothy Wordsworth Dorothy Wordsworth (25 December 1771 – 25 January 1855) was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romanticism, Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had ...

's foster mother (1778–1787) in

Halifax, Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

. Elizabeth married William Rawson in 1791; they were both Unitarians. They moved to London from Halifax, knew Nicholson, and introduced William to him. The period when Wordsworth dined regularly with Nicholson has tentatively been placed in spring of 1793. They went together to hear Joseph Fawcett preach. Nicholas Roe has suggested that Wordsworth's further engagement with radical English reformers may trace back to his connection with Nicholson. It has been inferred, by Roe, that Nicholson probably introduced Wordsworth to Joseph Johnson the publisher. Keay places Wordsworth's own radical beliefs in the context of a period 1793–5 and contact with the views and milieu of the Society of Constitutional Information, to which Johnson also belonged: the

Norman Yoke The Norman yoke is a term denoting the oppressive aspects of feudalism in England, attributed to the impositions of William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England, his retainers and their descendants. The term was used in English nation ...

, and the Tory Bolingbroke's arguments on capital and corruption. Nicholson, in any case, is credited with Wordsworth's introduction into the London group of radical dissenters, including

William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous fo ...

. They played a significant part in his thinking, until the middle of 1795. "Mr Nicholson" was referenced in the notes to ''

The Excursion ''The Excursion: Being a portion of The Recluse, a poem'' is itself a long poem by Romantic poet William Wordsworth and was first published in 1814 (see 1814 in poetry). It was intended to be the second part of ''The Recluse'', an unfinished lar ...

''.

Later life

Nicholson was a founding partner of the Glasgow Bank in 1809. He acted as trustee of

Dr Williams's Library Dr Williams's Library was a small English research library located in Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London, the contents have now been relocated to Manchester. Historically, it has had a strong Unitarian focus. The library has also been known as ...

from 1815 to 1827. He died on 26 October 1827, at Ham Common. In the last year of his life he had donated to the orphan school on City Road.

Family

Nicholson married Mary Haydon. Their eldest daughter Caroline married in 1804 Thomas Hockin Kingdon, Fellow of

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

. Harriet, the fourth daughter, married John Vowler of Parnacott in 1817. The only son of the marriage was George Thomas Nicholson. He studied at

Manchester Academy The Manchester Academy, originally known as the University of Manchester Main Hall, is composed of four concert venues, located on the campus of the University of Manchester, in Manchester, England. The four venues are: Academy 1, 2 and 3 and ...

from 1803 to 1805. In 1806 he matriculated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, graduating B.A. in 1809. That year he entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. He became a barrister, and was President of the National Life Assurance Society; it was founded in 1829, was a

mutual insurance company A mutual insurance company is an insurance company owned entirely by its policyholders. It is a form of consumers' co-operative. Any profits earned by a mutual insurance company are either retained within the company or rebated to policyholders ...

from 1847, and merged with the Mutual Life Assurance Society in 1896 to form The National Mutual Life Assurance Society. Waverley Abbey House Adlard

Later in life Nicholson was owner of

Waverley Abbey Waverley Abbey was the first Cistercian abbey in England, founded in 1128 by William Giffard, the Bishop of Winchester. Located about southeast of Farnham, Surrey, it is situated on a flood-plain; surrounded by current and previous channels ...

, which he bought from John Poulett Thomson. It had been damaged by fire in 1833, and he rebuilt it. He was

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

in 1833, and was elected a Fellow of the

Geological Society The Geological Society of London, known commonly as the Geological Society, is a learned society based in the United Kingdom. It is the oldest national geological society in the world and the largest in Europe, with more than 12,000 Fellows. Fe ...

in 1835. Nicholson married Anne Elizabeth Smith, daughter of

William Smith William, Willie, Will, Bill, or Billy Smith may refer to: Academics * William Smith (Master of Clare College, Cambridge) (1556–1615), English academic * William Smith (antiquary) (c. 1653–1735), English antiquary and historian of University C ...

. Of their children, Marianne, the elder daughter, married

Douglas Strutt Galton Sir Douglas Strutt Galton (2 July 1822 – 18 March 1899) was a British engineer. He became a captain in the Royal Engineers and Secretary to the Railway Department, Board of Trade. In 1866 he was a member of the Royal Commission on Railway ...

in 1851. Laura Maria, the younger daughter, married in 1848 John Bonham Carter. The sons were: *Samuel Nicholson, the eldest. *William Smith Nicholson, second son, an army officer, married in 1849 Charlotte Elizabeth Miller, daughter of

Sir Thomas Miller, 6th Baronet Sir Thomas Combe Miller, 6th Baronet (1781 – 29 June 1864), was an English clergyman and landowner. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge. Life The second but eldest surviving son of Sir Thomas Miller, 5th Baronet, Miller became a C ...

. *George Henry Nicholson,

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1844. *

Lothian Nicholson Lieutenant-General Sir Lothian Nicholson (19 January 1827 – 27 June 1893) was Governor of Gibraltar. History He was the son of George Thomas Nicholson and his wife Anne Elizabeth Smith, daughter of William Smith. Educated at Mr Malleson's ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Samuel 1738 births 1827 deaths English businesspeople 18th-century British merchants High sheriffs of Surrey Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society