Author: Bucke, Charles
Biography:
BUCKE, Charles (c. 1781-1846: ODNB)
DNB and ODNB give his date and place of birth as 16 Apr. 1781 at Worlington, Suffolk. No public records have been located but he gave his age as 60 for the 1841 Census. Nothing is known about his parents and early education. He spent time in Wales where on 1 July 1814 he married Margaret Rumsey in Crickhowell, Breconshire. They had five children although just four seem to have survived into adulthood and, in a letter to the RLF, Bucke described his elder son as brain-damaged. Some of the children were born in Wales and some in Islington, London, where the family lived at Pulteney Terrace, Pentonville. Bucke was a prolific and successful writer whose works include The Philosophy of Nature (1813), Amusements in Retirement (1816), On the Beauties, Harmonies, and Sublimities of Nature (1821: a reworking of The Philosophy of Nature), A Classical Grammar of the English Language (1829), On the Life, Writings, and Genius of Akenside (1832), and The Ruins of Cities (1840). He was, however, best known for the controversy over the Drury Lane production of his The Italians which, to his frustration, was repeatedly delayed. Bucke was left not only with little or no say about the fate of his play but also in conflict with Edmund Kean who requested revisions that would enhance the importance of his character’s role. Bucke subsequently tried to secure better legal protection for authors in their dealings with theatres; although he was unsuccessful, the controversy—documented in Bucke’s prefaces to editions of The Italians—brought the issue to public attention. Despite his many books, Bucke suffered financial problems and first applied to the RLF in 1824. In total he was awarded £230 with a further £30 being given to his widow after his death. In a letter of Feb. 1826 he described being confined at home for fear of being arrested for debt. The 1841 Census shows the family living in Pulteney Terrace; Bucke’s occupation is given as “Engaged in Literature.” He died after a long illness on 31 July 1846 and was buried on 5 Aug. at St. Pancras. His widow is recorded in the 1851 Census as living in London with three of their children; it is not known when she died. (ODNB 23 Aug. 2023; ancestry.co.uk 23 Aug. 2023; findmypast.co.uk 23 Aug. 2023; Weekly Chronicle 9 Aug. 1846; RLF file 511) SR
Other Names:
- C. B.