Author: Bicknell, Alexander
Biography:
BICKNELL, Alexander (d 1796: ODNB)
His origins are obscure. The only Alexander Bicknell for whom a public record has been located was baptised in Milverton, Somerset, on 2 Dec. 1722, the son of John and Joane Bicknell. 1722 seems early but it is not impossible that this is the Alexander Bicknell who later became a historian, novelist, dramatist, and ghost writer in London. His letters to the RLF refer to a wife; this may be Ann Sharpe whose 1771 marriage to an Alexander Bicknell took place on 20 Apr. at Saint Anne’s, Soho, London. The marriage declaration, dated 17 Apr., describes Bicknell as a widower but no record of an earlier marriage has been found. His first known publication is The Benevolent Man (1775) but it and other early works by him were issued anonymously. He wrote prolifically and anonymous publication may account for apparent gaps in his output; another explanation may be that he spent time in the Fleet prison for debt. The Patriot King was successful and includes a list of illustrious subscribers. Nevertheless, he struggled financially and he first applied to the RLF on 22 Mar. 1791. This application was rejected because he signed his letter only with “A. B.” but a second appeal, on 4 May 1791, secured him six guineas. His correspondence with the fund is extensive with the last of his letters being dated 2 July 1796 when he was in St. Thomas’s hospital being treated for what may have been mouth cancer. Regarded by the fund as a writer of some significance, he was awarded just over £69 with 4 guineas allocated for funeral expenses after his death on 22 Aug. 1796. His work as a ghost writer and his occasional use of anonymity are impediments to a full bibliography of his published work but his books include The Life of Alfred the Great (1771), An Apology for the Life of George Ann Bellamy (1785), Doncaster Races (1790), Painting Personified (1790), and A History of England and the British Empire Designed for the Instruction of Youth (1791). (ODNB 15 Feb. 2023; ancestry.co.uk 15 Feb. 2023, RLF file 6) SR
Other Names:
- A. Bicknell