Author: Collier, John Payne
Biography:
COLLIER, John Payne (1789-1883: ODNB)
The second of five children born to John Dyer Collier (1762-1825) and his wife Jane Payne (1768-1833), his birth in Bishopsgate, London, on 11 Jan. 1789 was recorded at Dr. Williams’s library in 1790. His father was an editor—most notably of the CR from 1816 to his death—and an acquaintance of many literary figures including Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Charles and Mary Lamb (qq.v.). Collier was educated at home by his father whom he assisted in managing the CR. He was admitted to the Middle Temple on 31 July 1811 but his real interests lay with writing and he was employed by both The Times and the Morning Chronicle. On 20 Aug. 1816 he married Mary Louisa Pycroft at St. Mary’s in Putney; they had two sons and four daughters. Collier began collecting early English books and he published essays on antiquarian subjects in the CR and Leigh Hunt’s (q.v.) Examiner. He produced some excellent editorial work—for example, he completed the work of Octavius Gilchrist (q.v.) in producing a new edition of Robert Dodsley’s Select Collection of Old Plays—but over time his writings became contaminated by fabrications and even now distinguishing the genuine from the spurious is a challenge. His History of English Dramatic Poetry and Annals of the Stage (1831), writings on Shakespeare, and an edition of Spenser were praised at the time of publication but justifiably became targets of suspicion. Despite this, Collier was a pillar of the literary establishment: he was a member of the Garrick Club; elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (1830); given access to private libraries and collections; and helped to establish the Camden, Percy, and Shakespeare societies. He served as secretary of the British Library 1847-50 and was granted a civil list pension of £100. In 1850 the family moved to Holyport, Berkshire. When two of the daughters died of consumption the family moved again in 1853 to Riverside, Maidenhead, where Collier kept busy with literary projects. His wife died on 10 Dec. 1857. He died on 17 Sept. 1883 and was buried in the churchyard at Bray, south of Maidenhead. His books and papers were auctioned after his death and many are now in institutional libraries. The poem listed here, in Spenserian stanzas, he believed to be his most enduring work. (ODNB 22 Mar. 2024; ancestry.co.uk 22 Mar. 2024)
Other Names:
- J. Payne Collier