Author: Anstey, John
Biography:
ANSTEY, John (1757‑1819: ODNB)
pseudonym John SURREBUTTER
He was baptised at Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, on 7 Nov. 1757, the son of the poet Christopher Anstey (q.v.) and Ann (Calvert) Anstey. After graduating from King's College, Cambridge (matric. 1777, BA 1781, MA 1784, Fellow until 1792) he became a barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and a commissioner for auditing public accounts. He married Helen Senior at Walcot, Somerset, on 2 July 1792; the couple had at least five childrren. The Pleader's Guide, which first appeared in London in 1796, became a favourite with members of the legal profession: Richard Porson, the famous classicist noted for his memory, is said to have known it by heart. Anstey's edition of his father’s Poetical Works appeared in 1808. He died on 25 Nov. 1819 at his London home. (ODNB 29 Aug. 2017; findmypast.com 10 July 2025) HJ