Author: Mason, James
Biography:
MASON, James (1778-1827: findmypast.com)
He is “James Mason of Shrewsbury” in library catalogues because several of his works were dated from or published at Shrewsbury, Shropshire; in fact he was born and died there. He was baptised in a Presbyterian church on 24 June 1778, the only son of a prosperous draper, James Mason of St. John’s Hill, Shrewsbury, and his wife Sarah Heywood, daughter of Arthur Heywood of Liverpool, a slave trader and co-founder with his brother Benjamin of Liverpool’s first purpose-built bank. Some of Mason’s literary works are dedicated to members of the Heywood family. He was educated at Hackney School, London, and entered Trinity College, Cambridge, as a Pensioner in 1795 but did not proceed to a degree. In 1797 he was admitted to the Inner Temple, London, to study law, but no record has been found of a call to the bar. He is probably the James Mason who married Mary Pugh at St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury, on 5 Nov. 1799 and with her had at least three daughters. He was active in local and national politics, a supporter of Catholic emancipation and—family history notwithstanding—in favour of the abolition of the slave trade. His political pamphlets between 1804 and 1814 include several on Irish affairs, one on parliamentary reform, and another on the corn laws. He was also a Captain in the Shrewsbury Volunteers militia. Besides the works listed here, notably the Miscellanies which include comedies, tragedies, and an epistolary novel, he published Cornelia; and Alcestis: Two Operas founded on . . . Euripides (1810). His final publication, dedicated to “Mrs. Jones, daughter of Benjamin Heywood, of Stanley Hall, Yorkshire, and niece of Bridget Heywood, of Liverpool,” was dated from St. John’s Hill on 1 Jan. 1827. He died at Shrewsbury on 27 Apr. 1827and was buried at St. Chad’s on 1 May. (findmypast.com 8 Apr. 2023; ODNB 8 Apr. 2023; ACAD; archives.innertemple.org.uk 9 Apr. 2023) HJ