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Author: Downman, Hugh

Biography:

Downman, Hugh (1740-1809: ODNB)

Physican and poet, he was born to Hugh Downman and Anne (Richards) Downman at Newton St Cyrus, near Exeter, Devon. Educated at the Exeter grammar school and Balliol College, Oxford, he was ordained in 1762 but then moved to Edinburgh to study medicine. There he boarded with Thomas Blacklock (q.v.) who encouraged him in writing poetry. In 1769 he moved to London, gained his MA from Cambridge, and moved to Exeter where he married Frances Andrew, daughter of an Exeter physician. Although his dramatic tragedies were not very successful in performance, his long poem, Infancy, made his name. He was a founding member of an Exeter literary society. Downman suffered ill-health throughout adulthood. He died at Exeter. (ODNB 25 Oct 2018; ancestry.co.uk 25 Oct 2018)

 

Other Names:

  • H. Downman
 

Books written (22):

London: printed for the author, [1770?]
Edinburgh: [private: "for the Author"], [1770?]
London: Williams, 1775
London: G. Kearsley, 1775
London: G. Kearsly, 1776
New edn. London: Kearsly, 1778
London: Wilkie; Fielding and Walker; Kearsley; Elsmley [sic]; Davis, 1779
Exeter: [no publisher: printed by Grigg], 1781
Exeter: [no publisher: printed by E. Grigg], 1784
4th edn. Edinburgh/ London: Bell/ Robinson; Wilkie; Kearsley, 1788
5th edn. Edinburgh/ London: Bell and Bradfute/ Robinson; Wilkie; Kearsley, 1790
2nd edn. Exeter/ London/ Edinburgh: Trewman (printer)/ Robinson; Wilkie; Kearsley/ Bell, 1790
Exeter: [no publisher: printed by Trewman], 1791
Bath/ London/ Oxford/ Cambridge: [no publisher: printed by Cruttwell and sold by Cruttwell/ Cadell/ Fletcher/ Merrill], 1792
Exeter/ London/ Edinburgh: Printed by Grigg in Exeter for Robinson; Wilkie; Kearsley/ Bell, 1792
Exeter: [no publisher; printed by Trewman], 1805
London/ Oxford/ Cambridge/ Bath: T. Cadell, G. Dilly, and G. G. and J. Robinson/ Fletcher/ Merrill/ Cruttwell, 1806
Exeter/ London: Trewman and Son/ Cadell and Davies, 1808
7th edn. Exeter: [no publisher: printed by Trewman], 1809