Author: Nicholls, Thomas
Biography:
by
Jackson, Heather (HJ)
NICHOLLS, Thomas (d 1826: findmypast.com)
For someone who published so much, surprisingly little good information is to be found about Thomas Nicholls. He offered his first, anonymous poem for sale from his own address of 3, Red Lion Court, Silver Street, London—an address long associated with publishing—and Goodridge may be correct in speculating that he was involved in the business. On the other hand, the same arrangements were not made for later works. He was well read but lacks the signs of a classical education. He is referred to as “Mr.” not “Esq.” and with no professional titles. His choice of subjects is variable but generally in the service of morality and public good, especially the good of the lower classes. He was a Londoner but wrote about other places; he may have found inspiration in books and in newspaper reports. He seems to have managed to elude the newspapers himself. Perhaps the best clues come from the eight-page list of subscribers to The Wreath: with few exceptions, the names are from London and belong typically to the artisan or merchant classes (several goldsmiths, for instance). A few booksellers subscribed for multiple copies. An authorial postscript offered subscribers the opportunity to acquire a further collection of “miscellanies” to be bound in with The Wreath with an engraved frontispiece representing a wreath, but no such collection has been located. His name is common enough that it has been so far difficult to confirm basic biographical details. The RLF file on him, however, provides some useful information. He appears to have scraped a living by writing anonymously for the periodicals in the later years of his long life. In 1815 he made his first application to the RLF but the decision was deferred and no record kept. In June 1826, aged between 80 and 90 by his own account, and living at Paradise Place on the Clapham Road, he was awarded £15. He was buried on 28 Dec. 1826 at St. Mark's, Kennington, aged 80 (sic). His daughter Louisa, who had cared for both her parents in their old age, applied on her own account after his death and received £10 in Nov. 1827 to prepare herself for work as a lady's companion or attendant in a day school. (RLF #328; ancestry.com 29 Feb. 2024; findmypast.com 29 Feb. 2024, 28 July 2026; Goodridge; information from AA, SR) HJ
Other Names:
- Thos. Nicholls
- T. Nicholls
- F. Nicholls